August 30, 2010   

At paid union meetings last week secondary teachers voted overwhelmingly to:

• reject the Ministry of Education’s latest pay offer (99.3%);
• support an addition to the secondary teachers’ collective agreement (STCA) claim to prevent employers applying the 90-day fire-at-will provisions heralded in upcoming legislation (90.9%);
• approve the following actions in the absence of a fair and reasonable offer:

• a range of protest actions in Term 3;
• a one day strike; and
• further protest and industrial action in Term 4 if no settlement has been achieved (95.1%).

“The meetings were notable for the high degree of unity and determination among teachers,” said PPTA President, Kate Gainsford.

‘If you think education is expensive, try ignorance’ – never has that observation been more relevant.
The country – along with much of the world – is being pounded by the economic crisis. Unemployment is rising while everyone agrees we need more qualified school leavers.

...Their plight belongs to all of us, for it will certainly cost us all.

We have a government that has talked up its intention to invest in infrastructure. Surely, for a nation proud of its achievements and ambitious for its future, that begins with intellectual infrastructure?

Other countries are already upping their investment in public education. They have recognised that, when times are tough, priming the knowledge pump reaps returns. The head of the International Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, noted in January 2010 that “investment in education in stimulus packages will have much more effect than tax cuts.”

August 4, 2010   

Secondary teachers throughout the country will be attending Paid Union Meetings (PUMs) on August 24 and 25 to decide the next step in PPTA’s collective agreement campaign.

Negotiations broke down last week after members overwhelmingly rejected the Ministry of Education’s unacceptable offer, PPTA president Kate Gainsford said.

“The ministry continues to undervalue teachers and shows little indication it wishes to achieve a ratifiable settlement,” she said.

Members will be asked to consider a range of options, including industrial action, Gainsford said.

“We are at a critical stage in our campaign to protect public education and get a fair and reasonable deal for teachers and students.”

August 17, 2010   

After taking an axe to Kiwisaver and leaving retiring secondary teachers in the lurch, John Key’s government is now considering making the scheme compulsory.

PPTA president Kate Gainsford described the move as “astoundingly hypocritical” coming at time when the Ministry of Education was refusing to budge on collective agreement claims that would make the system fairer for those signed up to the scheme.

Part of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) claim was an additional 1% employer contribution to Kiwisaver, which would restore a previous employment benefit to all secondary teachers, Gainsford said.

When the National government slashed the compulsory employer contribution to Kiwisaver to 2% to fund its tax cuts, this reduced a previous benefit that was available to all teachers – the 3% of the Teachers’ Retirement Savings Scheme (TRSS).