Teachers' wildcat action spreads

By STAFF REPORTERS

Rolling strikes are set to escalate across Auckland over the coming weeks as secondary teachers protest against the Government's latest pay offer.

Nationwide wildcat strikes continued yesterday, despite a plea from the Council of Trade Unions for teachers to wait for formal meetings to reject or approve the pay deal.

In Wellington, 200 teachers marched on Parliament to shout their protests as Finance Minister Michael Cullen delivered his Budget.

Today there will be half-day stoppages at several Auckland schools, including Westlake Boys High School, Papakura High School, Northcote College, Marcellin College and Glenfield College. Teachers will picket the electorate offices of Labour MPs.

Teachers from at least one school, Lynfield College, will strike on Monday. Yesterday they passed a motion of no confidence in the executive of the Post Primary Teachers Association.

West Auckland schools are planning industrial action next week, from striking to refusing to teach but continuing with marking and other work.

Auckland PPTA members will debate next week whether to plan a new series of rolling stoppages.

The 14-month dispute has already seen teachers reject one pay deal, and last week's latest offer has yet to be formally put to teachers at ratification meetings.

It proposes a 5.5 per cent pay rise over three years, and a temporary allowance for some teachers for implementing the National Certificate of Education Achievement.

There were also guarantees for a minimum number of non-teaching hours each week.

Teachers argue that the pay offer is less than the inflation rate and will do nothing to address retention and recruitment problems.

They also say the allowance is discriminatory and temporary.

The industrial action has pre-empted formal votes on accepting or rejecting the deal, and yesterday prompted the CTU, of which the PPTA is a member, to urge teachers to wait for ratification meetings before striking.

CTU president Ross Wilson said the wildcat strikes ran counter to the democratic process of considering offers.

"It is our practice to act democratically and make decisions collectively. It just seems to me to be unhelpful in all respects because there are a whole lot of secondary teachers out there, one assumes, who actually want to hear in detail what's in the package.

"I am very concerned because I've never seen this happen before, and I've operated in some very tough environments on the waterfront and railways over a period of 25 years.

"We've had some very stormy ratification meetings, but the debate has always been held in that forum."

Mr Wilson said he did not think teacher leaders could be accused of being too cosy with the Government with an election pending, because PPTA president Jen McCutcheon and Education Minister Trevor Mallard were clearly not close.

"Quite the opposite - I've been concerned by the degree of hostility involved."

But Ms McCutcheon's decision to attend Labour's national congress in Wellington last weekend continues to be criticised by teachers.

Lynfield branch PPTA chair Gillian McNeil said there was no place for political alliances at executive level. Teachers at the school will strike on Monday.

PPTA senior vice-president Graeme Macann said there was little the organisation could do to stop the wildcat strikes, except to ask teachers to adhere to the usual ratification process.Staff reporters