Teachers call off strike

Photo / Bay of Plenty Times

Secondary teachers have called off strike action planned for tomorrow to allow contracts negotiations with the Ministry of Education to continue.

The teachers' union, the Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA), president Kate Gainsford announced the cancellation of the planned strike today, saying the suspension of the action had been required by the ministry to enable discussions to continue.

The ministry said it was pleased the action had been suspended and that talks could continue between the two parties.

The news follows three days of bargaining, which have appeared to yield little progress.

In statements yesterday afternoon, the ministry and the PPTA both questioned the other's commitment to settling the dispute .

Ms Gainsford said the ministry did not appear to be open to any movement, in particular she raised concerns about its commitment to addressing the teachers concern of class size.

The ministry's group manager education workforce, Fiona McTavish, said the lack of progress was disappointing.

"We want to settle this year, but are unsure of the level of commitment in the PPTA."

- NZPA