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Our Ref: 139/511

10 October 2011

Dear Colleague,

PENSIONS CAMPAIGN

You will find enclosed two leaflets about Pensions. We would suggest that they be circulated round UTU members and then pinned on the noticeboard so that all the information is displayed.

Please also remind all members of staff that the Joint Pensions Seminars will be held from 4.30pm – 6pm in venues throughout Northern Ireland. A reminder of the venues:

Tuesday 11th October Derry City Hotel
Wednesday 12th October Armagh City Hotel
Thursday 13th October Ramada Hotel, Shaw’s Bridge, Belfast
Tuesday 18th October Tullyglass Hotel, Ballymena
Wednesday 19th October Silverbirch Hotel, Omagh
Thursday 20th October Clandeboye Lodge, Bangor

Please encourage members to attend and ask any questions they may have on changes to the pension scheme. This will be their opportunity to find out why all the teaching unions are conducting ballots of their members in pursuit of joint industrial action commencing in November.

The Minister for Education’s recent speech suggesting widespread school closures is evidence of the massive cuts the Education Service is going to sustain. The UTU has already been inundated with calls from schools that have been identified in the media as potentially vulnerable. The ballot for industrial action will identify that while we are already in dispute with the Assembly’s stated intention to increase contributions, teachers are also very concerned about the effect the cutbacks will have on the education of children.

We intend to commence balloting around 15th October and your ballot paper will be sent to your home address. Further information will be forwarded in the coming days but for a chance to really find out the situation you should endeavour to attend one of the scheduled seminars. Alternatively, you may wish to go on to the UTU website at www.utu.edu and access the link to the NUT (National Union of Teachers) website for full up-to-date information on the pension talks in London.

UTU Diaries

You will also find enclosed in this mailing your new style UTU diary which runs from October 2011. I hope you like the new design. We would be grateful if you would encourage any teacher who is not already a UTU member to join up and we will ensure that they too receive a diary as well as the full protection of a locally-based teacher’s union.
Our local Assembly is growing in its role in governing Northern Ireland and a local union is best placed to negotiate on matters of local interest. Our close working relationship with INTO (Irish national Teachers’ Organisation) and our partnership agreement with INTO, NUT and EIS (Educational Institute of Scotland) ensures that UTU is right at the centre of the issues that affect teachers throughout Great Britain and Ireland.

WORKLOAD

The Northern Ireland Teachers’ Council (NITC) representing the five recognised teacher unions is engaged in ongoing work to reduce teachers’ workload to manageable proportions. Three documents are on track for completion by the end of October and should be ready for agreement at the next Joint Working Party (JWP) meeting on 8th November.

SCHOOL VISITS

Please feel free to contact us by phone or email if you would like to talk about any aspect of the Union’s work. The Union’s Field Officers are available to go out and address school staffs on request.

Yours sincerely,

Avril Hall-Callaghan
General Secretary