Whanganui NZEI and PSA members took action today industrial action against the Government's recent pay offer and lack of support for school learning support staff in Whanganui. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko-Brown
Whanganui NZEI and PSA members took action today industrial action against the Government's recent pay offer and lack of support for school learning support staff in Whanganui. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko-Brown
A group of school support staff gathered in Whanganui to strike against the Government’s recent pay offer and support.
Ministry of Education learning support specialist staff who are members of New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa (NZEI) took industrial action for two hours today.
The NZEI members include speech-languagetherapists, early intervention teachers, occupational therapists, psychologists, mediators, advisers on deaf children and service managers.
Public Service Association (PSA) members were also out to voice their dissatisfaction.
They marched from the Ministry of Education offices on Ingestre St to Majestic Square.
NZEI’s media spokesman Liam Rutherford said the workers felt industrial action was the only option to get the Government to take notice.
“They are dealing with huge amounts of overtime and wait lists which make their job immensely difficult,” Rutherford said.
“The young people around the country aren’t getting that support they need in a timely manner, which is putting extra pressure on the teachers and parents of these young people.”
Whanganui NZEI and PSA members marched from the Ministry of Education offices on Ingestre St to Majestic Square. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko-Brown
Rutherford said learning support was the number one issue for schools in New Zealand, and Whanganui was no different.
“There won’t be a single school in Whanganui that won’t be talking about learning support as the number one issue that they face and that has to do with funding that comes directly into the school but, also, it’s that specialist help that can only come from the Ministry of Education.
“It just isn’t there in a timely way and in the level that we need. This continues to put pressure on to other parts of the education system like teaching support staff, principals and families.”
NZEI Te Riu Roa media spokesman Liam Rutherford says workers feel there is a "huge gap" in the work done and the income received from the Government.
Rutherford said NZEI members felt there is a “huge gap” between the work they do and their income.
Pay negotiations were seen as a chance to be recognised and valued for their work but the offers from the Government to date had fallen short.
“They are also thinking about it from the perspective of, ‘what is it going to take to attract people into working for the Ministry of Education in support roles?’” Rutherford said.
“There are vacancies out there that the ministry is struggling to fill and, when you are talking about gaps in the workforce, it’s a contributing factor to why these wait lists are so long for these young people and their families because there’s just not enough hands to go round.”
Rutherford said the issue also affected those who were indirectly involved.
“Even for families that don’t have a child directly with additional needs, they’ll have their children in classrooms with kids that aren’t getting the support they need,” he said.
“That has a flow-on effect to whether or not teachers have the time to spend that important one-on-one time with all children if they are having to deal with kids that need extra time and we don’t have those extra hands.”
Union members Karen Keene (left), Shona Buchanan and Gabi Downes were striking in Whanganui against the Government's pay offer and lack of support for learning support staff in schools. Photo / Fin Ocheduszko Brown
Ministry of Education hautū (leader) corporate Rob Campbell said the ministry remained focused on maintaining day-to-day operations and minimising disruption to children, young people and their families.
“While we are disappointed that NZEI and PSA have chosen to proceed with industrial action despite initial offers, we remain committed to progressing collective agreements in good faith with the unions,” Campbell said.
Rutherford said the disruption in schools for the two-hour strike was the point – the schools were informed ahead of time.
It was disappointing for the workers themselves to have to help solve the problem, he said.
“This should be the Government coming to the table, making sure that learning support roles within the Ministry of Education are properly resourced so that young people can get the help they need in a timely fashion.”
The Ministry of Education is working with NZEI to set a date for mediation and discussions with PSA are ongoing.
