THE Scottish Government has been left with "no effective choice" other than to increase the amount many public-sector workers will pay for their pensions, said the Finance Secretary.

John Swinney claimed Westminster would cut £100million a year from the Scottish budget if it failed to make the changes – which will affect teachers' pensions as well as those for NHS workers, the police and fire fighters – next year. He told MSPs: "If we refuse, we face a £100m reduction for each and every year that the increases are not applied."

EIS teachers' union general secretary Larry Flanagan said the Scottish Government's failure to fight with Westminster over the issue was "supine".