High school teachers strike for day

Secondary school teachers in Gisborne took to the streets yesterday morning as part of rolling strikes across the country to support the Post Primary Teachers Association push for better pay and working conditions. This group of Gisborne Boys’ High teachers gathered at the Stanley Road roundabout. They were joined by Girls’ High teachers across the road, and others at Hei Pipi Endeavour Park. Picture by Rebecca Grunwell

Teachers at the region’s secondary and area schools were on strike yesterday (Thursday), as they continue to press for better pay.

Post Primary Teachers Association members have been taking part in national rolling strikes over the past week with the East Coast taking part today.

Schools involved were Gisborne Boys’ High School, Gisborne Girls’ High School, Gisborne Intermediate, Campion College, TKKM o Te Waiu o Ngati Porou, Tolaga Bay Area School and Te Karaka Area School.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of Education made a new offer to secondary teachers following four days of facilitated bargaining but it was rejected.

The PPTA said the offer did not keep up with inflation, and was not good enough for it to call off the regional strikes.

The offer, made during bargaining facilitated by the Employment Relations Authority, would take the salary for teachers on the top pay rate to $100,000 by the end of 2024 — an 11 percent increase for the estimated two-thirds of secondary teachers on the top rate, the ministry said.

“PPTA Te Wehengarua members are committed to achieving a collective agreement that meets the needs of secondary education, in particular one that will help stem the flow of secondary teachers leaving the profession and attract people into secondary teaching,” acting PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said.

The national executive would seek feedback from members this week to inform a decision to be made this weekend on next steps.

In the meantime, lower level industrial action will continue.

“This includes PPTA Te Wehengarua members not giving up their scheduled planning and marking time to do relief and not attending meetings outside regular school hours. The rostering home action — not teaching certain year levels on certain days — will continue too,” a PPTA spokesperson said.