PM: Striking teachers 'disconnected'

Photo / NZ Herald

Secondary teachers' plans to go on strike next month show they disconnected from the real world, Prime Minister John Key says.

A one-day strike is pencilled in for September 15. Thousands of Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) members last week voted for the strike action unhappy with the Ministry of Education's a 1.5 percent rise offer. The teachers are seeking 4 percent.

Mr Key was scathing about the planned strike when asked at his post-Cabinet press conference this afternoon.

"Personally I think it's very disappointing and I think it shows you how disconnected they are from the real world," he said.

"Quite frankly we've offered them a deal which is consistent with what nurses and police have got, it's in line base level of inflation."

The sector had got significant wage increases over the past 10 years and the economic conditions facing the Government had to be considered.

"I think parents will find it disruptive and I think they will find it unreasonable given the offer that is on the table from the Government. We want to find a solution, hopeful that we can, I think we've entered these negotiations in utter good faith but at the end of the day there's not an endless bounty of cash out there and it would be quite unfair of us actually to offer teachers what they want, a four per cent pay increase, when everyone else is settling for less
than two."

PPTA spokesman Ben Weston said if the ministry made a reasonable and fair pay offer then the union would take that back to its members and it was possible the strike would be called off.

The provisional date for the national strike was September 15 but the PPTA would confirm the date over the next few days.

Ministry spokeswoman Fiona McTavish said the only place to achieve a settlement was at the bargaining table.

"We continue to urge the PPTA to call off its planned strike, come back to the table, and give us a better idea of its priorities for its 46 claims," she said.

"We are deeply disappointed by the PPTA's decision to disrupt schools, families and communities in this way.

The Government could not afford the generous teacher salary increases of the past but had made a fair and reasonable offer, Ms McTavish said.

The ministry remained ready and willing to bargain while the PPTA said it was still open to further negotiations.

- NZPA