by our Industrial reporter @TrinderMatt

A FORMAL strike ballot for teachers threatened by fire-and-rehire attacks over pensions at a prestigious independent school in north-east London was announced by their union today. 

The National Education Union (NEU) accused Forest School of putting pressure on workers who are members of the teachers’ pension scheme (TPS) to accept a new, inferior scheme from September. 

All state, academy and most independent-employed teachers across England and Wales can be members of the TPS, but school bosses now want to replace it with an alternative that will offer “no guarantee as to what will be paid in retirement,” the union said.