Offer ‘too late’ to avert strike: OPPA chairman

WHILE the Government had hoped its latest pay offer to NZEI union members would encourage primary educators to avert industrial action this week, a Dunedin principal says the strike was inevitable.

Education Minister Chris Hipkins said NZEI ‘‘let its members down’’ when it decided to go ahead with the strike.

He said the union should have stopped the strike and allowed union members to vote on the new $698 million offer — an increase of $129 million from the previous offer.

The Government even offered to provide for paid meetings to discuss the offer.

However, Otago Primary Principals’ Association chairman and Elmgrove School principal Chris McKinlay said the lastminute offer came too late and failed to address teacher workloads.

NZEI received the offer only last Thursday, and was expected to call off the strikes and take half of yesterday off to discuss the offer.

That meant having to inform parents at very short notice that there would be no school yesterday

morning, he said.

Aside from the timeframe, the new offer did not address workload and teacher release conditions, he said.

‘‘Obviously the union felt it wasn’t significant enough for them to rush through the consultation process and put a hold on the strike.

‘‘Teachers have been saying it’s not all about pay, and yet the offers keep coming and they’re only about pay.’’

Mr McKinlay said most people thought teachers worked 9am3pm each day, but in reality they worked 8am5.30pm, or till later most days.

‘‘Most teachers work about 50 hours per week . . . and then they go home and do more work — marking, planning.

‘‘Most teachers also do at least a half day on a Saturday or Sunday.’’

Despite the situation, Mr McKinlay personally believed negotiators had made ‘‘positive movements’’. He was pleased the Government had offered more development release staffing for firsttime principals to undertake professional development learning.

He was also delighted with the removal of pay caps, increases on base salaries, and the Government’s $217 million investment in learning support coordinators to work with special needs pupils.

NZEI president Lynda Stuart has not ruled out a third strike.

Primary and secondary teachers may unite against the Government next year if their pay disputes are not settled, RNZ has reported.

The teachers’ unions have confirmed their leaders are meeting at the end of this week to discuss a combined campaign.