NASUWT union under 'tremendous pressure'

The NASUWT teachers' union has said it is being put under "tremendous pressure" to try to resolve the current dispute with the government over teachers' pensions.

It was announced on Saturday that thousands of teachers in the UK had voted to strike over changes to their pensions and pay.

Members of the union are angered by planned government changes to the teachers' pension scheme (TPS) which, they say, will mean teachers working longer, paying more and receiving less when they retire.

The government revised their proposals to change the scheme earlier this month. The new offer would guarantee no-one within 10 years of retirement would have to work longer or see their pension income fall and includes the promise of more generous rates of accrual - the rate at which the value of a pension builds up.

Chris Keates told the Andrew Marr Show that the union welcomed the government's amendments but was still trying to work out what the changes would actually mean for teachers.

The general secretary said they had a "ridiculous timescale" in which to make sure the new proposals delivered "the kind of things that the government is saying that it will".

You can watch the Andrew Marr Show in full on the BBC iPlayer