Teachers latest to threaten strike action
A SERIES of planned strikes are set to cause widespread disruption, with nurses walking off the job next Thursday and primary school teachers looking likely to follow in their footsteps next month.
More than 4000 Public Service Association members employed by Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are also scheduled to strike in July.
Primary teachers and principals held a union meeting at the Dunedin Town Hall yesterday, to vote on whether to accept the Ministry of Education’s pay offers or reject them and take industrial action.
The meeting was the last of six held across the Otago region; all meetings held throughout the country end today.
While results from all meetings were still to be announced, New Zealand Educational Institute organising director Neil Ham mond, of Wellington, believed the general feeling among teachers and principals across the country was that they were not happy with the ministry’s offer.
NZEI represents about 50,000 NZ principals, teachers and support staff.
‘‘It’s certainly a consistent response — whether we’re at huge Auckland meetings or small country meetings in other parts of the country.
‘‘Obviously we can’t comment on the steps they will take until all the votes have been counted.
‘‘Strike action is a strong possibility.’’
Primary teachers at yesterday’s Dunedin meeting said they were concerned pupils would suffer if teacher shortages and support for additional learning needs were not adequately addressed.
A Dunedin teacher, who declined to be named, said she doubted an MP would take the offer if they had not received a pay increase in nine years.
‘‘Teachers are getting swamped with a lot of paper work and it’s not easy to have a work/life balance.’’
She said fewer people were going into the teaching profession and a lot of teachers were leaving because of it.
‘‘I almost left because it was hard to find a job where I live, and when I did, I realised I could make the same amount of money making coffee and have a better work/life balance.’’
Another teacher, with 30 years’ experience, was also disappointed with the offer.
She said the profession had suffered a decade of neglect under the previous government, and now there were significant issues facing education, including a growing teacher shortage, stress and workload problems, and underresourcing.
Children with additional learning needs were not having their needs met, she said.
Meanwhile, the Southern District Health Board has started contacting patients who have operations scheduled for July 5, telling them their procedures would be postponed unless the strike was cancelled.
‘‘While the majority of services impacted are scheduled for the 5th, some appointments and surgeries in the days leading up to that date may also be affected,’’ specialist services executive director Patrick Ng said.
The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) represents about 29,500 nurses, midwives and healthcare assistants employed by DHBs.
❛ Teachers are getting swamped with a lot of paper work and it’s not easy to have a work/life
balance
An anonymous Dunedin teacher
With another strike scheduled for July 12, the SDHB would contact patients with elective and outpatient appointments scheduled on or around that time about postponement if the dispute was not resolved, Mr Ng said.
National health spokesman Michael Woodhouse claimed the strikes meant no complex elective surgeries would take place at all in New Zealand for two weeks.
Health minister David Clark was unable to confirm that, but said each DHB had its own contingency plans and would make priorities depending on the clinical needs of patients.
‘‘The specific dates and types of surgery that will be postponed in the event of a strike will vary from DHB to DHB,’’ Dr Clark said.
Facilitation talks between the New Zealand Nurses Organisation and DHBs continue today.
Nurses and teachers are not the only public servants set to strike. More than 4000 PSA members employed by Inland Revenue and the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment are scheduled to walk off the job in July.
Bargaining talks broke down yesterday, and Inland Revenue staff are poised to strike for the first time in 22 years.