Tories: losing the argument, sparking the fightback posted by Richard Seymour

The NUT and ATL teaching unions have both voted to endorse strike action over the government's changes to pensions. In the NUT, the "yes" vote was overwhelming – some 92%. In the ATL, a traditionally conservative union, the vote was hardly less compelling, with 83% backing strike action. The government's plans involve teachers working longer, paying more and getting less at the end of their working lives. Teachers will be expected to work until they're 68, increase contributions by up to 50%, and will receive a lower pension based on a new "career average" index when they retire. Their rejection of this could not be clearer, and the teachers' yes vote opens the way to mass, co-ordinated strike action on 30 June and beyond...

Labels: austerity, capitalism, class struggle, cuts, neoliberalism, tories, trade unions, working class