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Around 70 teachers at David Cameron’s former school are members of the Association of Teachers Lecturers, which is taking industrial action for the first time in its history Union members at Eton College, David Cameron’s former school, have agreed to “minimise” strike disruption for pupils on Thursday. Cameron told public sector workers on Wednesday that strikes were “wrong – for you, for the people you serve, for the good of the country” in a last-ditch attempt to avert a mass walkout by members of four unions. But it emerged that around 70 teachers at Eton are members of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, which is taking industrial action for the first time in its history. The prospect of a walkout by teachers at Britain’s most expensive public school – in the face of pension changes proposed by a government that currently includes several former pupils – would have been embarrassing for the prime minister. Efforts to contact a union rep at the college failed, but Tony Little, the Eton headmaster, issued a statement late on Tuesday which read: “Members of ATL at Eton met over the weekend, and have taken the view that they wish to minimise disruption but take the pensions issue forward by other means.” Thursday’s strike coincides with the last full day of the school year for Eton pupils, which means disruption would have had little impact as no classes will take place that day. But anger over reforms to teachers’ pension schemes is expected to result in disruption across a number of other public schools with some likely to shut for the day, according to the ATL. The teachers’ pension scheme, underwritten by the government, counts staff at more than 1,400 independent schools as members, according to Lord Hutton’s review, which recommends that the scheme should no longer be available to them. Mary Bousted, the ATL general secretary, whose union includes 20,000 teachers in the private sector, admitted there would be more pressure on teachers to avoid taking to the picket line, but said it would be a mistake to down play the real sense of anger among members in fee-paid schools. “I think there is more pressure not to take action,” she added. “The dispute is more difficult in the independent sector because there is more of a direct link between parents who pay the fees. “Also, although these teachers are in the pension scheme there is not quite the direct link with the government in the same way [as state school teachers], but I do not want to down play the sense of anger in the private sector.” Public sector pensions Public services policy Public sector cuts Public finance Private schools Schools Hélène Mulholland Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk