NorthTec tutors to walk out after a lack of response to pay requests

NorthTec union members rally together as they fight for better pay. Photo / Enzo Giordani

A lack of response to a strike by NorthTec tutors has prompted union members to step up their industrial action by walking out of their classrooms for two days next week.

For the past two weeks 135 NorthTec tutors who are Tertiary Education Union (TEU) members have been taking industrial action, after four months of collective negotiations.

The action has meant not completing attendance registers, not providing paper or written versions of attendance registers to management, and not entering any marks or supplying any marks to management.

On Friday about 60 TEU member tutors, and some students, picketed on the corner of Raumanga Valley Rd and State Highway 1 and announced they would strike on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.

Bill Rogers, co-chair of the TEU NorthTec branch, has been working at the polytech for 21 years and teaches Diploma in Architectural Technology.

He said members, who are looking for a 3 per cent pay rise, had not received any better offers from NorthTec.

"As a whānau we are a very strong cohort with a very determined goal in mind. We're very disappointed with NorthTec's non-response to our bargaining requests," he said.

He said that non-response had led to tutors stepping up their action. "It's eight or nine years since we've had a strike at NorthTec and we do not like striking. We have heard of other institutions that had settled very quickly and NorthTec is the last institution which has not settled."

NorthTec chief executive Wayne Jackson was not available for comment yesterday but last week he said the polytechnic remained open to engage with staff when industrial action ended.