Northland’s secondary school teachers have blasted the Government’s 1% pay increase offer as an insult to the work they do.
They were part of a nationwide strike today amid negotiations they say have not addressed their level of need.
The Government has offered a 1% pay rise every year for three years in collective agreement negotiations.
Associate Education Minister David Seymour defended the Government’s offer, noting that teachers’ pay had already increased by 14% in the last few years. He stated that 60% of teachers earn more than $100,000.
Jodie Baldwin, Post Primary Teachers’ Association [PPTA] Te Wehengarua Northland Central chairwoman, said the PPTA wanted more pastoral care time and funding, which was ignored in the Government’s latest offer.
Also ignored, she said, was their request for better support to help high needs students.
“I’ve been teaching for 34 years, and there’s been a lot of change in my time.
“Students are coming in with a lot of extra needs. And not just educational, it’s emotional as well,” Baldwin said.
“Staff are exhausted. It’s not a 9 to 3 job that many think it is.”
Meredydd Barrar, Upper Northland Regional Committee PPTA representative and a Kaitāia College teacher, said the offer of 1% was “uncivilised” and effectively a pay cut when factoring in inflation.
He was part of an 18-strong group who stood at the picket line today.
Barrar said teachers, particularly in low socio-economic areas, were faced with a “myriad” of social problems to deal with.
“Pastoral support, which is very lacking, is huge as a means of addressing the problems that teachers face every day.”
Barrar said many Far North teachers were Māori and had grown angry at what he called attacks on te reo Māori and Te Tiriti principles.
“Many teachers are finding the stress of the job ... intolerable despite the support of our management.”
Barrar said they were also dependent on overseas teachers, who, despite immense skill, did not have knowledge of the area or the culture.
“What we require is a substantial pay increase in order to incentivise our young people to decide to choose teaching as their profession and also incentivise people from this community to become teachers.”
PPTA president Chris Abercrombie said the Government failed to address claims like better recognition for curriculum leaders, a need for subject specialist advisers and more professional learning and development funding.
He said retaining experienced teachers was crucial for the successful implementation of the proposed NCEA reforms as well.
“In a time of relentless and momentous change to secondary education, we need to be able to attract graduates and others to the profession and keep highly skilled and experienced teachers in the classroom.”
Members have voted to roster certain year levels home in the week beginning September 15 if negotiations do not progress sufficiently.
Public Service Minister Judith Collins yesterday said the PPTA striking after only six days of bargaining without taking the offer of 1% a year for three years to members was appalling, disingenuous and a “political stunt”.
Brodie Stone covers crime and emergency for the Northern Advocate. She has spent most of her life in Whangārei and is passionate about delving into issues that matter to Northlanders and beyond.