Critical pay talks start today for school support and social workers in Wairarapa and thousands of their colleagues around New Zealand.
The collective agreement for school support staff expired on March 1 and the start of the talks today comes after weeks of delays and a rally outside Wairarapa MP John
Hayes' Masterton office that was sychronised with similar rallies throughout the country calling for the talks to begin.
NZEI spokeswoman Liz Brown said the negotiations on a fresh pay claim between union members and the Ministry of Education also include talk dates scheduled over the next two weeks.
"These talks are aimed at delivering fair pay and job security for thousands of low-paid education staff around the country," she said.
"The focus of the NZEI's pay claim is around a pay jolt for support staff which was promised by the Labour government last year, in line with the pay jolt school cleaners and caretakers are to receive in July.
"NZEI wants to see the Government commit new money so the pay jolt can be negotiated into reality for school support staff.
Ms Brown said many support staff earn as little as $12.94 an hour only marginally above the minimum wage of $12.50 with about 95 per cent of NZEI's 13,000 support staff members earning well below the new average wage of $24.55 an hour.
"We work at the frontline of education and these negotiations are a vital opportunity for the Government to address our low-pay issue," NZEI national executive member and negotiating team leader Gaye Parlane said.
"Support staff have been waiting for years for a fair deal and in times of economic recession, any money which goes towards supporting the teaching and learning of children should be seen as an investment, not a cost."
