The growing gender pay gap is leading to a lifetime of reduced
pay and leaving women teachers poorer in retirement, the NASUWT -
the Teachers’ Union has warned today at TUC Congress in
Brighton.
The Union highlighted that the deregulation of pay frameworks
coupled with "punitive pension reductions” for public servants
who retire before their normal pension age is pushing women
teachers to the poverty line in their retirement.
The Department for Education own data shows that despite
delivering gender parity in pay for teachers in
their twenties, women teachers in their forties earn
just 80% of their male counterparts’ salaries.
Pay and pension inequality worsens at every stage of the school
workforce. In 2018, the School Workforce census revealed that the
pay premium for male teachers was shown to be around £900, for
leaders the figure was £5485 and for head teachers the figure
£8129.
The NASUWT joins other unions calling upon UK government and
the Scottish government to close the gender pay gap
and improve public sector pensions, including access to
pension benefits before National Pension Age without
punitive reductions.
NASUWT General Secretary Dr Patrick Roach said:
“The ongoing systemic injustice of the gender pay gap is felt by
women teachers long after they leave the workforce and throughout
their retirement.”
“Equal pay for equal work and security in retirement is not a
radical demand; it is a basic right that every woman teacher
deserves.
“Women teachers are working for longer, giving more but are being
paid less both in real-terms and compared to their male
colleagues.
“Gender inequality is widening year on year and at the
cost of pay and pension incomes for women teachers. The
Government must act to close the gap and end this
injustice and ensure dignity and security for teachers
throughout their careers and later in life."
Speaking to the motion National
Executive Member and Chair of
the Salaries John McGill
said
“The NASUWT continues to condemn this increase in the normal
pension age in public service pension schemes and supports the
call for an end to the punitive process of actuarial reduction
for those public servants who take their pensions before their
normal pension age.
“It is clear that the deregulation of pay in 2013 via new
flexibilities has made this situation worse than it was prior to
2013. Removal of pay portability, where changing school used to
guarantee that your wage went with you, has undermined pay for
all teachers but particularly for females.
“Lower pay inevitably leads to a lower pension, so the impact is
felt over their whole life. We need the government to address
this clear discriminatory practice and reinstate a proper pay
framework for teachers.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors
The motion supported by the NASUWT is below:
Pensions and
gender-related pay issues
Congress believes that pensions
are deferred pay and condemns the fact that the UK government has
worsened public sector pensions.
Congress calls on the UK
government and the Scottish government to immediately redress a
key detriment suffered by members in amended public sector
pension schemes, whereby such members cannot access pension
benefits accrued before normal pension age (NPA) without punitive
actuarial reductions.
Congress further notes with
concern:
i.
the increase in the gender pay gap for full-time workers reported
by the ONS for 2020–21
ii.
that most women still earn less than men. Congress is clear that
that the gender pay gap contributes to the gender pension
gap.
Congress believes that closing
the gender pay gap must be a higher priority for government,
employers and the trade union movement. The gender pay gap leads
to a lifetime of reduced pay and pension incomes for women that
put many into poverty.
Congress believes that there
should be enhanced shared parental leave entitlements, and more
and better flexible working options for parents- both mothers and
fathers.
Congress further believes that
all sectors should form gender pay taskforces to tackle gender
pay gap issues within specific areas of employment. National
collective bargaining bodies may be a means of doing so in
several sectors.
Congress instructs the General
Council to coordinate the campaigning activity of affiliates
towards:
a. improving public sector
pensions, including access to pension benefits before NPA without
punitive reductions
b. closing the gender pay
gap.
