PPTA

(February 2009)    Parental leave is a general term which covers entitlements forteachers from two sources: the Area School and Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreements and the Parental Leave Act 1987 and Amendments.    (Members guide to the STCA & ASTCA 2007-2010 series)

(June 2009) Should work cease to exist for ACE employees in schools the following provisions shall apply.The Adult and Community Education (ACE) Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement January 2007 – October 2008 contains surplus staffing (redundancy) provisions (clauses are attached) for all permanently appointed ACE co-ordinators, whether teaching or non-teaching co-ordinators.  ...

(2003)    Appendices to the Ministerial taskforce on secondary teacher remuneration - includes terms of reference; list of members;  documents tabled; list of submitters; executive summary of survey.

(2003)    The PPTA and the Secretary for Education agreed, in the Terms of Settlement of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement  2002-2004 (STCA), to a Ministerial Taskforce to examine and report on a number of issues related to secondary teachers’ remuneration which had been raised but not fully explored or addressed during the negotiations and settlement of the STCA.     Specifically; “The Minister of Education shall convene a taskforce to examine and report on secondary teachers’ remuneration.  This Taskforce will examine and report on how the government can address wagepaths, and the impact on remuneration of workload, supply, demand, curriculum delivery, qualifications and other directly related issues that arise.” 

(Ministry of Education website)    This page provides information and application forms for the Medical Retirement-Serious Illness provisions that are available for employees covered by the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement or the Area School Teachers' Collective Agreement.

(October 2008)    The Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) requires that schools have a timetable policy developed in consultation with the teaching staff and there must be a review mechanism for such school policy. Where there is a proposal to change the operational times of the school this would require a change to the school’s timetable policy and this will require consultation between the teaching staff and the employer.    This advice is to guide you through what would be expected in such a consultation process on changes to school times. It contains advice on the legal and industrial constraints around proposals to change the school day, a list of reasons that have recently been raised with branches for changes to the teaching times in some schools and advice on how branches and schools should approach any local suggestion to change the school’s normal operating times.

(27 July 2009)  Dear Minister  Thank you for your response to my letter seeking details of the 1.5% staffing cut proposed for 2011. I am disappointed that you were not in a position to provide any detail about your intentions. You will appreciate that the prospect of the loss of up to 700 front line teaching positions is causing some alarm in secondary schools. Members whose jobs may be at risk are looking to me to provide some reassurance and, if possible, certainty. With that in mind, I wish to make a number of brief points, which cover both matters of fact and perception, since both have impact on how our members view the prospect of cuts to teaching jobs.

(February 2009)    This booklet is a summary guide to the operation of Part 9 ofthe Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) and Part 8 of the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement (ASTCA). For the purposes of this pamphlet area schoolagreement references will appear in brackets after the secondary agreement references. It should be read in conjunction with Part 9 of the Employment Relations Act (2000).    (Members guide to the  STCA & ASTCA 2007-2010 series)

(19 August 2009) Dear Colleague  I am writing to you to assure you that you have PPTA’s full support and commitment in the fight to restore ACE funding in schools. I remain optimistic that the government has underestimated the extent of community opposition to this decision and will have to review it.  PPTA National Executive is supporting the CLASS campaign against the cuts. At its July meeting, Executive determined to endorse the call by CLASS for a day of action on Saturday 12th September and to ask members in all secondary schools to support local protest activities on the day. It has also suggested to PPTA regional teams that they fund advertising to promote the day in the local media.

(March 2009) Schools that use teachers for grounds duty can organise duty rosters to provide the minimum breaks for teachers and provide student supervision. Some models are illustrated in this document.

This clause is not about the nature of work done, but about the requirement to attend school or elsewhere when the school is not open for instruction.    Clause 5.4 gives your employer the contractual right to require you to attend school or elsewhere, when the school is not open for instruction, for five days per year for professional development, and a further and separate five days per year for administration, preparation, communication, co-ordination and liaison.  Balanced against the employer right to require attendance, clause 5.4 gives teachers a contractual right to refuse to attend school or elsewhere outside periods when they have already accrued voluntary or directed attendance of five days or the equivalent per year.