School support staff pensions have been raided to fund a teacher pay rise in a move GMB Union has described as ‘disgusting’.
The Department of Education has slashed 4.9 per cent from employees pension contributions to pay for the £500 million teacher’s wage rise.
Currently, the pension contributions go to helping teaching assistants, catering staff, school caretakers and other workers live with dignity after they retire.
GMB Union, which has more than 100,000 school support staff members, is meeting the Education Secretary today [Thursday] to voice its concerns.
Stacey Booth, GMB National Officer, said:
“School support staff already paid a pittance for nurturing, feeding and helping to educate our children.
“To take money from their pensions to give others a pay rise is completely disgusting.
“Ministers should be ashamed of themselves - if they can’t fund a pay rise they should have the guts to admit it rather than stealing the money of others
“Meanwhile anyone who celebrates a pay rise that takes money away from the poorest paid group in education is a wolf in sheep’s clothing and should take a long hard look at themselves.”
