Source: Radio New Zealand
The union had hoped to negotiate a payment to acknowledge the extra work involved in implementing the new curriculum but was unsuccesful. 123RF
The primary teachers’ union says there have been gains in the deal its members accepted following drawn out bargaining, despite the salary settings being the same as an earlier offer.
Educational Institute Te Riu Roa primary teacher members agreed to a 2.5 percent pay rise with a further 2.1 percent in January next year.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the pay increase was the same as was offered in December and the delay had cost primary teachers about $550 each.
NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher leader and bargaining team member Barb Curran said if the ministry had made the new offer earlier, a settlement could have been reached sooner.
She said there were gains in the final deal, including an increase to the camp allowance, funds for training and parity with secondary school teachers over allowances for extra duties.
“We will finally at the very end of the term of this have our management units be worth the same as a secondary unit. That’s been a point of contention for some time and an anomaly that no-one could satisfactorily explain.”
NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher leader and bargaining team member Barb Curran. Supplied / NZEI
The value of a unit would increase from $4500 to $5250 by October 2028.
Around 60 percent of teachers qualified for extra duty payments, Curran said.
“We’re also pleased we’ve got some opportunity for our relievers to do some professional learning and development – you could argue that should be business as usual, that the government would be providing professional learning for all teachers, but our relievers have been missing out, so we’re pleased for them.”
The union had hoped to negotiate a payment to acknowledge the extra work involved in implementing the new curriculum but was unsuccesful, she said.
“We had hoped for some sort of recognition of that work. Primary principals received a lump sum to recognise that work towards the curriculum changes, and we were hoping primary teachers who were actually in the classroom doing the work would be offered something to recognise that.”
Curran said it was frustrating the pay offer was below inflation, especially when there were huge increases in costs around fuel that were seeping into other areas.
“But our members have made the decision, so we’ll move on. We have other things we need to work towards in the education sector.”
It had been a long, difficult bargaining period, including scathing public critiques of teachers by senior government ministers and an unprecedented offer to non-union members ahead of settlement, Curran said.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the pay increase was the same as was offered in December. Reece Baker/RNZ
The union requested Employment Relations Authority intervention over the stalled pay talks earlier this year after rejecting a mediated offer it described as mostly unchanged from the rejected December offer.
Following facilitated bargaining, a proposed settlement was put to NZEI members late last month.
Under the terms of the settlement, teachers on the top two steps of the salary scale would receive a cumulative pay increase of 4.7 percent by January next year.
This meant teachers at the top of the pay scale would see their base salary increase to $107,886 per annum.
Teachers moving up the pay scale would continue to receive annual increases along with a cumulative 4.6 percent pay increase by January next year.
Secondary teachers accepted a similiar deal in December and primary school principals accepted an offer in February.
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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand