Teachers told pension deal 'is as good as it gets Chris Keates, the general secretary of the NASUWT, said the Government's negotiating process last month had been "a debacle" and unions had been "pressurised and threatened" to sign up to a deal without having the full details available. Christine Blower, of the NUT, said: "We remain committed to a negotiated agreement on pensions but these proposals will not, in our opinion, serve the interests of teachers or the education system." Ministers want public sector staff to pay more for their pensions and work longer before retiring, arguing that rising life expectancies mean public sector schemes leave taxpayers facing unsustainable costs. The Department for Education said it was "disappointing" that the unions had chosen to "restate" their position on last month's deal, and warned that no more concessions would be made. A spokesman said: "We have already addressed many of teachers" concerns, particularly around early retirement. We are now ready to have detailed, technical discussions to reach a final settlement - but have made clear that the broad deal on the table is as good as it gets. He added: "The deal we set out before Christmas is a fair one for teachers and affordable for taxpayers. Teachers will still get a far better pension than the vast majority of people in this country - while we can keep long-term costs firmly under control.