Students get day off as teachers continue strike

Fourth formers at more than 55 secondary schools in greater Auckland are having a day off school today as their teachers continue strike action to push for pay claims.

The Auckland teachers took the action without the full blessing of the national office of the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA), although president Jen McCutcheon told NZPA she understood the frustration that had led to the strike.

Today's rostering home of students was to continue for the rest of the week when fifth, sixth, seventh and third formers would also stay at home.

Ms McCutcheon said mediation last week over the protracted dispute had made progress.

The PPTA is pushing for improved conditions and a wage increase of about 5 per cent a year for the next three years.

Cabinet had approved an offer of between 3.5 per cent and nearly 15 per cent with the higher increase being tagged for hard to staff schools and a National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) allowance.

Ms McCutcheon said she "completely understood" today's Auckland strike action because of the inability of the Ministry of Education to resolve the issues.

"It is an outpouring of frustration."

However, she said she would have preferred it to have been delayed until further mediation with mediator Paul Hutchinson.

The PPTA's Auckland regional secretary Chris Bangs, said the action would not continue next week.

Ms McCutcheon said the latest offer of 2 per cent for the first year and 1.5 per cent for the second year, with back pay was "just not good enough." The offer also included bigger increases for 1700 members in hard to staff schools, and 2000 teachers to implement the NCEA.

She said the ministry did not seem to understand why targeting a "tiny group" out of a national collective of 14,000 members was not acceptable.

Ms McCutcheon would not say what progress had been made in mediation but said the real issue would be how acceptable mediated results would be to Education Minister Trevor Mallard.

Mr Mallard said the Government had made an offer which included increased pay and wider issues PPTA members had said were their most pressing concerns.

That included recruitment incentives for hard-to-staff areas and extra pay for teachers taking on extra responsibilities to meet NCEA implementation requirements.

"I am disappointed at this week's strike action and urge secondary teachers to show more confidence in their executive," he said in a statement.

- NZPA