Principals’ strike vote suspended
A vote on industrial action by secondary school principals was suspended on Wednesday, following mediation with the Government – and SPANZ union president, Waimea College principal, Scott Haines, says mediated bargaining resulted in an offer the union had confidence in.
Secondary principals’ unions recommended that their members accept an offer on pay and conditions, hammered out with the Ministry of Education on Tuesday.
The unions had walked away from the negotiating table last week, saying talks with the ministry failed to result in a pay offer, and members would vote this week on whether to strike.
Haines said a ballot seeking members’ views on the offer opened yester- day.
‘‘We want to work our way through that process before considering industrial action. [But] that’s certainly an option if members decide that they want to reject that offer.’’
The deal included an average 14.5 per cent pay increase for principals over the three-year term of the agreement, six weeks of annual leave, and a $500 payment for union members. It meant SPANZ could join the work on an accord on workload and wellbeing, formed between teachers’ unions and the Government during recent negotiations over teachers’ collective agreements, Haines said.
Secondary principals have not been part of strike action undertaken over the last year by primary and secondary teachers and primary principals, because they started their collective agreement negotiations in May, later than their colleagues in the rest of the sector.
Primary and intermediate school principals on Tuesday voted to accept a new settlement, which offered pay parity with their secondary counterparts.