The Brighton & Hove Labour Group of Councillors have stated their support of striking teachers at Brighton Girls School in the first strike faced by the Girls’ Day School Trust (GDST) in its 149-year history.

Teaching staff have been on strike in protest of the GDST’s plans to delist its staff from the Teaching Pensions Scheme (TPS), which the National Education Union has described as a ‘disaster’ for its members.

This proposal by the leadership of the Brighton Girls School and others, will hurt staff and could put their pension plans in jeopardy, which is totally unacceptable, as are the threats of fire and rehire teachers are currently facing.

Co-leaders of the opposition, Councillors Appich and Allcock said:

“We stand with the teaching staff at the Brighton Girls School, and members of the NEU, whose pensions are being unnecessarily and unjustifiably put under threat by the Girls’ Day School Trust.

“We know that industrial strike action is an act of last resort for any worker, and we hope the GDST abandons any plans to remove staff from the Teaching Pensions Scheme immediately.”