Secondary teachers won't cancel strikes until government improves offer
Photo:
RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The secondary teachers' union says it will only cancel its
planned strikes
if the government improves its pay offer.
But the minister responsible has made no indication it is likely to budge, urging teachers to ditch their
"political stunt"
and return to the bargaining table.
Teachers will walk off the job next Wednesday following a
one percent pay rise offer during collective bargaining
, which the union said was the lowest in a generation.
The Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) also warned of further strikes in September if the offer did not improve.
President Chris Abercrombie said the decision to strike was not taken lightly, and he did not want it to come to that.
"We're meeting with the ministry this Friday for bargaining, so we're really hopeful we might be able to alleviate all of this industrial action, if the ministry comes to the table.
"We need to see some movement on all of our claims, at the moment the government has addressed basically none of them."
But Education Minister Erica Stanford said the PPTA had not made any counter offer or clarified what it wanted, instead jumping to take "drastic" action after just six days of bargaining.
"I'm really worried about the rolling strikes in September, it is so very close to final exams and the unions know that," she said.
"And that's why it really bites that they're not at the bargaining table, bargaining in good faith. These students are being used as bargaining chips, it's not fair on those kids and it's not fair on parents."
Stanford urged the union to call off the strikes and engage with the government in good faith.
Secondary school teachers were paid an average of $100,000, but that was not high enough to attract and retain staff, Abercrombie said.
"That is the pay rate, but we know we don't have subject specialist teachers in front of young people, and we're about to go through the biggest change package in curriculum and assessment in a generation.
"If we want that to work, we need to have a workforce there to deliver that."
The country was about 800 secondary school teachers short, he said.
The government offered a one percent salary increase each year for three years.
But the PPTA wants a four percent increase each year for three years, and another four percent in the first year "in recognition of the removal of pay equity", Abercrombie said.
Teachers also receive annual stepped pay progression.
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