Vote looming for second strike
A second primary school teachers’ strike for the year is on the cards.
Yesterday, primary educators’ union NZEI announced members would vote on whether to strike again in the first week of term four, which starts on October 15.
Any strike would then happen in November.
Members had given the strongest support ‘‘for a national week of strike action’’, said NZEI Te Riu Roa president Lynda Stuart. The union announced its next step after its membership voted down the Ministry of Education’s latest offer in a secret ballot last week. The offers, which would have seen most teachers receive a 3 per cent pay rise each year for three years, failed to adequately address ‘‘growing issues around workload, recruitment and retention’’ of staff, and learning support. Stuart said members had given ‘‘some’’ support for lesser industrial action, and strong support for a two-day strike.
However, the strongest support was for a national week of strike action. ‘‘Our members are concerned about the impact any strike will have on parents and children, but on balance we are hearing that education is already being disrupted by the teacher shortage.
‘‘Over half of schools didn’t have enough staff last term.
‘‘We are hearing about so many children being shifted into other classes because schools can’t find a teacher for them.’’
Thousands of teachers and principals downed tools for a oneday strike in August, affecting more than 460,000 primary and intermediate pupils.
While further industrial action was an option, NZEI stressed other action could be taken in the ongoing push for better pay and conditions.
This included the possible introduction of work-to-rule, reducing work, or the implementation of rolling strikes, which could see different regions refuse to teach over five consecutive days. ‘‘It’s important to note that strike legislation requires us to vote for or against a single proposed action – we are not able to vote on a list of options. That’s why it’s essential to have a strong indication of members’ preferred actions,’’ Stuart said.
Yesterday, NZEI revealed the results of an early childhood centre survey, which claimed some unqualified teachers were being paid 75 cents an hour less than the adult minimum wage of $16.50 an hour. The research, commissioned by the union, will form part of a pay equity claim for workers in female-dominated industries.
NZEI early childhood education representative Virginia Oakly said the ‘‘alarming’’ findings would bolster pay equity claims. ‘‘It’s a huge injustice in the education field that we have got teachers who are being paid so poorly, and that so many are on the minimum rate.
‘‘We cannot expect quality education to be delivered in these conditions.’’ Among 1059 qualified early childhood teachers surveyed, the median wage was $25 per hour. Centre managers could earn as much as $62.50 per hour, though their median wage was $35 per hour. About 12 per cent were paid $22.65 per hour, $1 more than the minimum perhour rate for degree-qualified teachers. Unqualified teachers earned a median wage of $17.50, the survey results showed.
The most experienced staff – those who had spent more than 21 years in the industry – had a median wage of $26.96 per hour, regardless of their level of qualification.