TEACHERS’ STRIKE
How Whanganui will be affected
Primary school principals, teachers and support staff will gather at major Whanganui roundabouts this morning for their second strike.
Educators are unhappy with Ministry of Education pay offers, workloads and lack of resourcing following their first strike in August.
Staff will be at the roundabouts from 8am until 9am and then attend a teacher meeting to discuss their latest offer from the ministry between 11am and 12pm at Whanganui Intermediate School.
Its principal, Katherine Ellery, said parents had been notified and a notice had been sent to home.
“But schoolbags are notoriously unreliable so there will be a Facebook message put up as well. There’s a lot of media coverage on it.
“I’d be pretty surprised if any kids turned up, but you never know, we do have a lot.
“We’re a bit luckier because the main meeting is here, so
The board of trustees is very supportive of the position of NZEI and teachers. Gaye O’Connor, Carlton School
people will be around to make sure the hall is open [if kids turn up].”
Most schools are expected to be closed and Carlton School principal Gaye O’Connor said her school hadn’t received any feedback from parents regarding problems or issues with the school being closed.
“The board of trustees is very supportive of the position of NZEI and teachers with this, so the board has no issues with the decision to close the school.”
From 12pm onwards educators will be picketing, chanting and waving signs in Majestic Square as they did in August.
Last week the ministry made a new offer to teachers that left increases of 3 per cent over three years unchanged.
However, it did offer a new top step and the partial removal of a cap on qualifications for some teachers from 2020. The offer did not address class sizes or claims for more professional development time.
The second round of strikes got under way on more than 100 street corners in Auckland at 7.30am yesterday.
The rest of the North Island strikes with Whanganui today, except Wellington which will take its turn on Friday.
South Island action is on Thursday.