'Mixed up my messages' - Collins corrects $147K teacher pay claim
Photo:
RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Public Service Minister Judith Collins rejects that her comments regarding teachers' pay has harmed their relationship with the government.
Secondary school teachers
will strike on Wednesday
after they were offered a 1 percent pay increase.
The government
condemned the industrial action
the day it was announced on Wednesday last week.
In a statement at the time Education Minister Erica Stanford and Collins said the average salary for secondary school teachers had increased to $100,000 compared to $93,000 three years ago.
But in the press conference last week, Collins incorrectly said on average a teacher with 10 years' experience was on an annual salary of around $140,000.
Collins said to media on Tuesday morning that she had apologised for that.
"I just mixed up my messages a bit."
She rejected the idea her comments had hurt the government's relationship with teachers.
"I think what's really upset the unions is that we are actually putting some facts out there and they'd much rather go straight to strike."
Collins said her comments were clear that unions needed to get to the bargaining table and not have "little tantrums".
She said it was clear that secondary school teachers were paid well.
Labour Party education spokesperson Willow-Jean Prime said the 1 percent offer was effectively a pay cut.
"With the cost of inflation at the moment, most of those teachers are on the top of the salary band already so they will not be getting any pay increases as the minister has been suggesting."
Prime was pleased that Collins apologised for her comments.
She said that they were really harmful given the current negotiations underway.
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