“Teachers will have to work two or three years longer”
According to the federal pensions minister, if teaching reforms aren’t put in place now, the pensions of future generations are at risk
Flemish unions turn to Crevits
The socialist union ACOD said the proposal was “unrealistic” and that it was “physically impossible for most teachers to stand in front of a class up to the age of 63”.
The change comes on top of an earlier reform that aims to gradually abolish the right to early retirement for teachers and university staff, depending on the number of years they had spent studying. In the past, teachers with a Bachelor’s degree were allowed to retire two years early, while those with a Master’s could take off four years. But those rights will be progressively eliminated beginning in 2016.
Flanders’ education minister, Hilde Crevits, confirmed that teachers would have to work longer, but she said she hoped that Bacquelaine would introduce measures to ensure that there was a “smooth transition period which was reasonable for everyone”. The unions are now hoping Crevits can persuade the federal minister to soften the blow for teachers.
photo: Federal pensions minister Daniel Bacquelaine (third from right) meets with Flanders’ education minister Hilde Crevits (far right) to talk teacher retirement
©Belga
