Bay of Plenty secondary teachers are going on strike. Photo / File
Senior and area school teachers are the latest to take strike action, with more than 1500 in the Bay of Plenty set to walk off the job over their pay dispute with the Government.
This includes 800 in the western Bay of Plenty and about 450 in Rotorua.
A business leader says the strikes could hit local companies, and another says small- and medium-sized operators may have limited sympathy for public servants seeking pay rises in a tight economy.
About 21,000 Post-Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) members voted last week to take partial rolling strikes, affecting different year groups on separate days this week, among other action.
They will join nurses, midwives, other healthcare workers, and primary teachers in a nationwide mega-strike on October 23, with more than 8000 Bay of Plenty workers walking off the job that day.
Bay of Plenty regional PPTA chairwoman Kim Wilson said its members taught from Years 7 to 13 in state and state-integrated schools, including area schools.
It had about 450 members in the wider Rotorua area and 250 around the Eastern Bay of Plenty.
Rotorua members would be picketing from 7.30am to 8am on Wednesday, outside Lakes High School and on the corner of Malfroy and Old Taupō Rds.
Western Bay of Plenty regional PPTA chairwoman Julie Secker said there were 800 PPTA members from Katikati to Te Puke.
Members would picket outside Otumoetai College at 8am on Thursday, with more being planned.
PPTA Te Wehengarua president Chris Abercrombie said members “strongly endorsed” strike action.
Negotiations between the PPTA and the Government began in August, and teachers voted to strike over a proposed pay increase of 1% every year for three years.
Abercrombie told RNZ the latest offer of a 2.5% pay increase after settlement and 2% a year later was “worse” and could mean no further pay rises for up to 24 months.
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche, who is negotiating with the teachers, urged the union to return to the bargaining table.
Roche is also bargaining with the primary school teacher unions.
Roche told RNZ he believed the offer for teachers was “fair and fiscally responsible”.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour defended the pay offer, saying the teachers’ pay had increased by 14% over the past few years and 60% of teachers earned more than $100,000.
Also striking this week are NZ Professional Firefighter Union members, including 50 in Tauranga and 70 in Rotorua who will walk off the job for an hour on Friday.
Union president Joanne Watson said support staff, communication staff, health and safety and risk reduction officers, and trainers would join firefighters on strike.
While the union was not striking on October 23, off-duty members would support the mass strike.
Tauranga Business Chamber chief executive Matt Cowley said there could be public support for critical public services to be optimally resourced.
“However, requests for public servant pay rises are unlikely to get much support from local small and medium business owners, as many have seen their take-home pay drop to cover their business’s rising costs and slow revenue in this tight economy.”
Rotorua Business Chamber president Paul Ingram said these strikes had the potential to “negatively impact” Rotorua businesses faced with significant challenges due to the current economic climate.
“For example, team members of local businesses will likely need to take unplanned leave to provide care for children who would otherwise be in school.”
He said it was important to find a balance between financial constraints and the “well-being and equity for all workers.”
Sandra Conchie is a senior journalist at the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post who has been a journalist for 25 years. She mainly covers police, court and other justice stories, as well as general news. She has been a Canon Media Awards regional/community reporter of the year.