TEACHERS in Kirklees will join national strike action later this month.

And the action is expected to shut scores of schools across the area.

Members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers and the National Union of Teachers are walking out on June 30 over new pension plans announced by the Government.

The action, endorsed today by the NUT Executive and ATL President, Andy Brown, follows the campaign against the proposals made by the government to significantly alter the Teachers Pension Scheme.

They plan to take co-ordinated industrial action with other public sector workers, meaning up to 750,000 staff could strike on June 30 across the UK.

Teachers say it would see teachers paying more, working longer and getting less for their pensions, despite changes made to the scheme in 2007 which saw increased contributions, a raise in retirement age for new entrants and employer contributions being capped.

Christine Blower, general secretary of the NUT, described the proposals as an “unnecessary attack” on public sector pensions.

Dr Mary Bousted, general secretary of ATL, warned that the Government would be wrong to ignore the threat of action “when even the least militant education union vote to strike”.

Gill Collins, Kirklees branch secretary for ATL said that many teachers feel “totally betrayed” by the government.

“No teacher enters the profession believing they are going to be rich at the end of their career.

“Most accept they will earn less than their peers in other professions, but they do expect in return, a modest and secure pension,” she said.