The secondary school teachers' union wants $105 million compensation for the extra workload it says teachers will face with the introduction of a new qualifications system next year.
But Education Minister Trevor Mallard says individual teachers pressured him to spend the limited money available on recruiting more staff rather than pay rises.
The National Certificate of Educational Achievement will be introduced over three years to replace School Certificate, Sixth Form Certificate and Bursary.
The certificate will introduce standards by which students' progress is measured and remove the emphasis on exams at fifth and seventh-form level.
The Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) is sending a proposal to its 14,000 members about terms and conditions it wants for teachers when their collective contract comes up for renewal.
PPTA president Jen McCutcheon would not say what the proposal involved but it is understood the union wants $2500 more for each teacher when the national certificate is introduced at fifth-form level next year.
The union is claiming the same amount to cover the introduction of the certificate at sixth-form level in 2003 and seventh-form level in 2004.
More than 90 per cent of secondary school teachers belong to the PPTA and the changes, if approved by Mr Mallard, would cost the taxpayer about $105 million.
Mrs McCutcheon said the union wanted the pay rise as a direct result of the "complexities" and increased workload that teachers would face under the new system.
"It's a way of rewarding them for the extra requirements of implementing the new qualifications structure - a recognition of the extra workload."
She denied that the pay increase was a bonus, as earlier suggested by former PPTA president Graeme Macann.
Mr Macann said last month that teachers would seek a $2000 bonus, but later said it was a flippant comment.
Mrs McCutcheon said the PPTA supported the new qualification.
"We've given it a very cautious tick and the caution is around adequate resourcing."
The pay rise would also help to recruit and retain teachers, which she said were urgently needed because of a predicted secondary teacher shortage.
Mr Mallard would not comment on specific aspects of wage rounds, but said there was only so much funding available for schools.
"The pressure I have had from individual secondary school teachers has been towards improving staffing rather than large individual pay increases. That is the tradeoff that will be made in the wage round."
National Party education spokesman Gerry Brownlee questioned whether a bigger workload caused by the certificate was a valid reason for a pay rise. He did not believe it would help recruitment.
Pay negotiations start next month.
- NZPA
Teachers seek $105m for extra workload
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