IN RESPONSE to the remarks made by Peter Baxter regarding public sector pensions (Letters, July 5), I would say he needs to think about it more.

How dare he suggest he pays for my pension.

I work full-time in a school in a support capacity.

Out of my modest salary, I pay nearly £100 a month toward my pension, which I cannot now receive until I am 66. These contributions will gain me the princely pension of £3,000 per year.

The Government wishes to increase my contribution and lower my final pension.

If my union calls for action I will take it, as I suspect most people would if they were treated this way.

Oh, and by the way, Mr Baxter, you do not pay my pension – I am a taxpayer, so I am paying for my pension twice.

Penny Hajduk, Manton Road, Brighton

I AM writing to correct the totally inaccurate picture of trade union officials painted by Trevor Alford (Letters, July 5).

Until recently I was the division secretary for Brighton and Hove NUT.

I volunteered to take this on, which actually took up much of my own time and, in the 20-plus years from when I started, I’ve only ever been granted one day a week in time off from my teaching post.

None of the local unions have teachers working “full time”.

I also believe that, over the years, myself and my colleagues in other unions have saved local authorities money because of the work we do which is of benefit to councils.

Our role is to support individual members, and members collectively, through working closely with officers at councils to provide advice and guidance for schools.

I have helped teachers get back to work after illness, supported them through redundancies and school mergers, answered many questions on a wide range of employment issues and resolved issues with a teacher’s school, avoiding potentially costly disputes.

The policy guidance that local authorities provide on issues such as the performance of teachers or absence management helps schools to run smoothly and efficiently.

As working teachers we can advise on how procedures will, or won’t, work in school, saving time and money.

Some of the consultation and negotiation with local authorities is fulfilling a statutory function councils are obliged to carry out.

Public money does not fund the type of union activities the letter writer probably has in mind; teaching unions employ staff directly for that.

The NUT is not affiliated to any political party and does not therefore “fund the Labour party”.

The cost of not having someone like me supporting 2,000 NUT members in Brighton and Hove would be far higher than the cost of my one day a week time out of school.

Sue Suleyman, Lockwood Crescent, Brighton

CONCERNING the recent public sector walk out over pensions, it’s worth noting many of the trade unions and professional associations taking part were never party to national industrial disputes in living memory.

While the Government has promoted the theme that public sector pensioners are better than the equivalent in the private sector, this comparison is rather selective.

Firstly, public sector workers pay significantly higher contributions on the whole than those in private schemes.

Secondly, the vast majority of public sector workers are paid at lower pay rates than those in the private sector historically and the higher pension rates have been seen as a modest compensation.

The greatest danger for the whole of the UK is that this Government seeks short-term considerations to drive down public sector pensions.

This will repeat the devastating attack on private pensions by Gordon Brown which increased pensioners needing to claim state benefits and employees opting out of private pensions.

Britain needs instead a national dialogue and social contract whereby we give greater support to both private and public sector pensions.

We need a national investment plan and must ensure pension contributions are not raided for short-term Government whims.

The Liberal Party laid the foundations of national insurance and the national pensions scheme to challenge and tackle poverty levels for senior citizens. We need to go back to those founding principles.

Trade unions and professional associations are defending the legacy of our Liberal forefathers against those who have deserted socially progressive liberalism.

Bill Weights, Littlehampton Liberal Party

IT IS disappointing that critics of the teacher strike action over pensions resorted to ascribing motives of avarice and greed (Letters, July 5).

Even the Prime Minister has acknowledged that the majority of these pensions don’t represent great riches.

My knowledge is limited to the teachers’ scheme, which was not in deficit at its last valuation.

Measures were put in place in 2007 and 2008 to protect this situation, so there is no financial imperative for further change and no subsidy from the taxpayer.

Obviously council tax payers fund teachers’ salaries and conditions, but there is no reason to believe that requiring teachers to take out private pensions would reduce that overall bill.

Indeed, in the short term, John Hutton has warned that a mass exodus from the scheme could create a taxpayers’ burden and, in the long-term, his report shows the cost reducing as a percentage of GDP.

Consequently, there is no need for the increased contributions that the Government has “proposed”.

As a recent retiree, I have contributed to a scheme for about 40 years on the basis pensions would be updated in line with the RPI. But, at the point of taking that pension, the Government has unilaterally changed the index to CPI.

The loss resulting from this depends on the indices and life expectancy, but an average loss is independently estimated in the tens of thousands of pounds.

Both coalition parties promised no loss of accrued benefits at the last election but that pledge has not been honoured.

I do agree with the need for greater awareness of the issues.

Ironically, perhaps the greatest success of this action was to highlight the dire situation in the private sector where companies can afford substantial dividends and large bonuses but allegedly cannot afford proper pension provision.

It is to be hoped national talks can arrive at a fair settlement for public sector pensions but that this is done in a way that raises the pension aspirations of all workers and doesn’t seek to offer equality at the poorest level of provision.

Roy Bellingham, Downs View Road, Seaford

I ALWAYS thought when a country hit military or financial troubles, the whole of the population put its shoulder to the wheel and sacrificed until things got better instead of self-destructing.

It seems with the self-only conduct of our public services, and the destructive attitude of highly-paid and pensioned union leaders, my thinking is wrong.

Unless, of course, a situation such as the one in Greece is now apon us, which means our private sector will have to put a heavier shoulder to the wheel to pay for those who are only in it for themselves.

Peter Jenkins, Marine Parade, Brighton