TEACHERS’ STRIKE: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

Primary and intermediate school teachers and principals will be march and picket around Northland as they campaign for better pay and working conditions.

Education union NZEI announced it would go ahead with rolling strikes this week, despite a new offer from the Ministry of Education worth $698 million over three years.

Today’s strike is the second for teachers and principals this year. NZEI Te Tai Tokerau field officer Peter Hughes said educators were frustrated.

“It’s not about the money, it’s about more time to teach children, it’s about attracting people to the profession. The workload is overwhelming,” he said.

The latest offer, presented last Thursday, followed four days of facilitated bargaining under the Employment Relations Authority (ERA).

It did not move on an earlier offer to raise pay scales by 3 per cent a year for three years, but it included a new top step and the partial removal of a cap on qualifications for some teachers from 2020.

NZEI president Lynda Stuart said the offers did not address union claims for smaller classes and more professional time.

Justine Gamble, who taught at Kaitaia Intermediate for 11 years and is now a resource teacher for learning and behaviour there, said while the pay was important to attract people the “humongous workload” and lack of time to teach had to be addressed.

The latest offer will be discussed at closed meetings in Dargaville, Whanga¯rei, Kerikeri and Kaitaia at 10am.

Dargaville teachers and principals will picket outside the town clock from 9am; Whanga¯rei teachers will picket around town from 8am and will march from Northland Events Centre to the Town Basin at 11am; Kerikeri teachers will be picketing from 8am; and Kaitaia teachers will picket outside the old Pak’nSave and the grass area outside the new Warehouse from 11am.