Question: Who gets the money docked from the striking teachers?

TweetOn Nov. 30, two million public sector workers are expected to go on strike. Many on the picket lines will be teachers protesting changes to their pension plan. On Twitter,  @schoolgate asked, “Who gets the money docked from the striking teachers? Does it still go into education in some way?”

This is a great question and definitely deserves some investigating.

First a bit of background on the situation. So far, four teachers unions, including NASUWT, have voted for industrial action. The BBC sums up the issue pretty well:

Teachers and heads 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.

At least in England, it seems like most schools will be docking pay from teachers who strike. (In Scotland, teachers will still be paid, reports the Evening Times.) The Mail Online said some teachers could be docked £20 an hour.

From what I can gather from reading various forums, the amount deducted is 1/365. But no one says what is done with that money. I have submitted a FOI request to the Department for Education and will be making a few phone calls about the matter.

Is this something you would be interested in helping me investigate? Please get in touch either in the comments section below or on Twitter @HMIeducation.