The SPPA have today issued a circular to raise awareness of a cold calling phone scam and make clear that SPPA does not cold call scheme members and pensioners.

The circular can be downloaded from the SPPA website

Colleagues,

Thank you for your support in our Work to Contract Campaign. It has been agreed by Council that it is now appropriate to suspend the campaign. This is because of the ongoing negotiation with Scottish Government aiming to effect a Scottish Solution to the pension dispute. Council felt that as a demonstration of good faith in the very real attempts by Scottish Government to provide a solution it would be appropriate to suspend our Campaign.

Why we're marching

The STUC is organising a mass demonstration on 20th October in Glasgow. The event will coincide with a similar event in London under the banner ‘A future that works'.

On the morning of Saturday 20th October, trade unionists and community activists from across Scotland will gather for a march through Glasgow to play our part in telling the Government that enough is enough.

In addition to the work to contract, the Association is about to begin a new phase of its pensions campaign.

Members in schools have been sent post cards pre-addressed to the House of Commons and the Scottish Parliament. Please use these post cards to write to your own Member of Parliament and to your constituency MSP. Names and contact details of MPs and MSPs are available via http://www.theyworkforyou.com.

Members who prefer to write a more formal letter should use, as a template, a letter which may be downloaded using the link at the bottom of this page. A copy of this letter has also been emailed to members who have elected to receive communications by email. Members who prefer to use digital communications may wish to write using the http://www.writetothem.com website.

When writing to elected representatives, members are asked to bear the following points in mind:

• All post cards or letters should be signed and should bear the sender’s home address.
• Letters written by members should present the case for protecting our pensions in a reasoned and polite manner.
• Letters should stress the negative impact of the proposals on teachers and on the service we deliver to Scotland’s young people.

Colleagues,

SSTA representatives were involved in pension negotiations during the summer but there remains no immediate prospect of an acceptable offer. The very real threat to our pensions continues with younger teachers bearing the largest burden of this particular attack on our conditions of service.

Colleagues,

You will be aware that the Association is involved in negotiations with the Scottish Government and employers in an attempt to secure the best possible future pension arrangement for all teachers. Unfortunately negotiations continue to be constrained by events elsewhere in the UK.

This advice sets out the context for working for contract and should answer all but the most complicated questions. If you have a query not answered by this information please do not hesitate to contact the Association at info@ssta.org.uk 

During the last 2 weeks of April members were balloted on industrial action to protect teachers' pensions. The question asked if members were willing to participate in ‘action short of strike action'.

At a meeting held on 3 March Executive and Council decided to ballot members on industrial action short of strike action, including a work to contract, in response to the attack on teachers’ pensions. It was clear from the consultation held during February that the majority of members wished to be balloted on a work to contract.

Dear Colleagues,

At the meeting held on 3 March Council agreed to participate in a day of strike action with other public sector unions on 28 March. It was also agreed that we would not take unilateral strike action but would move immediately to a ballot on 'action short of strike action' or work to contract.