Abercrombie said teachers wanted more pastoral care staffing so the increasing numbers of students with additional needs could be given the proper time and attention, and for pay and conditions to be able to attract new staff and keep teachers in the job.
“We are facing once in a generation changes to the secondary school curriculum and qualifications system,” he said.
“Now, more than ever, we need to keep as many as possible of our skilled and experienced teachers in the classroom to help bring in these changes.”
They were at least 800 teachers short because they were either crossing the ditch for better pay in Australia or finding better pay and conditions in other careers at home, he said.
The partial strike was in response to the lack of progress made in negotiations, Abercrombie said.
“Teachers don’t take this action lightly and would much rather be continuing to teach in a settled environment,” Abercrombie said.
“However, our collective agreement negotiations are a crucial way to get pressing teaching and learning issues addressed so we really need the government to acknowledge our concerns and commit to finding effective and meaningful solutions.”
Public Service Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said the union was choosing strikes over students.
He urged the union to return to the bargaining table, and said negotiation, not escalation, was the way forward.
“Industrial action affects not only classrooms, but also the overall well-being of students and working parents,” he said.
“The offer made to teachers was a very good one, and teachers have an opportunity to settle and get extra money into their pockets quickly.”
He argued that the offer on the table was strong, fair and addressed cost-of-living pressures without ignoring the fiscal pressures facing the country.
It would have cost taxpayers an additional $361 million over four years, he said.
It represented a pay increase of 4.7 percent within 12 months for secondary teachers already at the top of their pay scale, Roche said.
“In difficult economic times, pay settlements must be affordable and responsible.”
The Commission said secondary teachers received pay advances of up to 14.5 percent in the last three years.
-RNZ
