Campaign day 19: PM walking fine line over teachers' dispute

By JOHN ARMSTRONG political editor

Just as there are lies, damned lies and statistics, there are customers, awkward customers and teachers. Or so the saying goes.

Labour believes the voting public sees things that way and there is little sympathy for striking secondary teachers as their pay dispute drags on.

The stand-off means more industrial action, more pupils sent home on more days. And that is tricky for Labour. The party took a hit in the polls from the GM-contaminated corn scare. But not as big a hit as it feared.

Things are much tidier this week. With eight days left to polling day, Labour wants to keep it that way. There are electoral spin-offs from looking tough in the face of union demands. Witness the pro-business rebuffing of the Council of Trade Unions' campaign for an extra week's annual leave.

When it comes to the teachers, however, Labour knows the public mood might suddenly shift. It could yet cop a backlash from parents. It would dearly love to have the dispute sent to arbitration this side of election day, thus averting the threat of a mass classroom walkout the day before.

Which is why Education Minister Trevor Mallard has used carrot and stick to prod the teachers towards settlement. He has offered to accept the outcome of arbitration as binding on the Government; he backed the threat of legal action.

But the PPTA knows Mr Mallard's inflammatory handling of the dispute has few admirers. It knows Labour's desire to avoid trouble gives the union greater bargaining leverage.

This is an example of the fine line Helen Clark is walking in this campaign as she tries to secure enough votes to govern alone.

The polls indicate she will not have enough votes, as the Greens then New Zealand First whittle away support.



Yesterday Helen Clark was deep in Winston Peters country, telling Tauranga voters that he could not be trusted.

Unlike the PPTA, Labour's allies in the CTU helpfully chipped in, warning workers that NZ First had lined up with National on industrial relations law. But one good turn deserves another.

Maybe that extra week's leave will be back on Labour's post-election agenda after all.

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