Primary pay settlement reached
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:00 pm by David FarrarThe NZEI and Ministry of Education have announced they have reached agreement on their collective agreement.
The settlement, between their union NZEI TE Riu Roa and the Ministry of Education, will give them a 2.75% pay rise from December 1st, along with a $300 lump sum payment. The collective agreements for both teachers and principals will expire in August 2012.
Well done to both parties on getting an agreement, and not going into 2011 with ongoing industrial action which tends to be a lose/lose – teachers lose wages and kids lose teaching time.
It will be interesting to see if the PPTA still refuses to budge with its claim.
Related posts:
- Secondary teachers more isolated
- An NZEI Survey
- Is he stupid?
- Economic growth, not teacher payrises needed
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:13 pm
I can just imagine Anne Tolley wanting to lock out teachers for six weeks or so from, I don’t know, just before Christmas.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 12:31 pm
Dream on, Graeme. As if that would happen.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 12:35 pm
Sounds like an extremely generous settlement for primary teachers and principals. They obviously used their common sense in settling with the current economic climate taken into consideration.
Vote:As for the PPTA, they have ordered more one day strikes, common sense no where to be seen. This settlement by the NZEI union would have to erode the creditability of the PPTA, that is if they have any left.
December 2nd, 2010 at 12:40 pm
“that is if they have any left” – left is all they’ve got, they certainly have no right
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 12:42 pm
^^^ Curious logic there Jimbob.
It would be common sense for PPTA to accept terms they are not happy with, because NZEI has accepted some completely different terms that they ARE happy with.
OR
Mary likes apples. Therefore if Billy had any common sense, he should like Bananas.
But congratulations to the primary teachers, they are worth every penny.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 1:05 pm
So a 2 year deal, with 2.75% pay rise. In the current environment, probably about right, so good to see the process has worked and ended up with something that’s probably fair.
The PPTA have always been more militant than NZEI, so I wouldn’t expect this to have much impact on them. What are the PPTA seeking? They’re better paid than NZEI anyway, and if I recall correctly, they have always opposed pay parity with NZEI. Arguably they should be getting around 2% for the same period, which would be a small step towards parity.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 1:06 pm
RRM
If Mary was a PPTA member, Billy would be making a wise choice to go with bananas.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 1:09 pm
Can’t edit, so I’ll add. RRM, yes, in aggregate teachers are worth every penny, and in fact it is my opinion that most parents would pay more for teachers than the government is prepared to pay. In the detail, some teachers are overpaid and some grossly underpaid. Some teachers would be paid much less (probably nothing at all) if parents had their choice. Other teachers would be paid twice as much. The monopoly employer nature of the government means that teachers have a lot of difficulty negotiating pay, and in turn that means that the union is very militant. There is often bad faith negotiating on both sides. The answer isn’t further escalation of hostilities, it is to get government out of the business of employing and setting pay for teachers. Either through bulk funding, or through proper privatisation. That would end up with better educational outcomes, and better pay for the good teachers.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 2:09 pm
“It will be interesting to see if the PPTA still refuses to budge with its claim.”
Won’t it be just as interesting to see if the govt still refuses to budge on its offer? I’m assuming the govt shifted its position re primary negotiations
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 2:17 pm
The post primary teachers have been working for the past 12 months or so on the terms the PPTA last negotiated. The PPTA was happy with them then, what has changed? Are yes, NS. Well Governments pass legislation and the citizens of that country should abide by them. The 2.75% pay increase is exorbitant in today’s economic climate, and class sizes has always varied. Expecting to employ more teachers so you can have it easier, well we would all like to have an easier job, except I pay your your salary, you don’t pay mine.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 2:30 pm
What a ridiculuous last sentence Jimbob. Are you saying you don’t use any government services?
Vote:The next generation of people leaving school will be paying your “salary” when you retire Jimbob.
December 2nd, 2010 at 3:14 pm
Wrong bc @ 2:30pm, I am saying what gives teachers the right to ask for over the top pay rises in today’s climate. I am helping to pay for that pay rise, and I do not ask the Government for pay rise when I feel I am working extra hours, or an extra work load. I have to suck it up, borrow from the bank to cover any short fall in my business income, or go without. Why should teachers get special treatment over the rest of us. We all know tax payers and future tax payers pay for public services and at present a nice pension when they retire. No one minds paying taxes for these services, but the dollars only go so far and public servants need to realise this when they ask for all the extras that they seem to come up with every year.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 3:22 pm
“But congratulations to the primary teachers, they are worth every penny.”
No doubt; just like all the other people who AREN’T getting a 2.75% pay rise because this country is fucked.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 3:35 pm
Jimbob, it’s the “right” of any individual to ask for a large pay increase. That doesn’t mean that individual is going to get the large pay rise of course. That’s the nature of bargaining.
Vote:And since when do you decide on the behalf of all taxpayers that a 4% increase is “over the top”? That’s an opinion not a statement of fact. Other countries such as Australia have given teachers pay rises considerably larger than 4%.
It comes down to spending priorities and how a society values education – ie an expense or an investment?
December 2nd, 2010 at 4:11 pm
With some of the secondary school teachers we have, I suspect it is veering towards expense.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 4:38 pm
bc, the World financial crisis is real. The UK, Europe and the US are in deep trouble with debt. The latest case is Ireland, as their cost of borrowing from foreign investors is increasing by the day, as investors, whether they are sovereign or private funds, require higher interest rates for the perceived risk of their investment. If these investors believe that NZ’s public debt is too high, they will require higher interest rates. We are already on a Standard and Poors credit watch, so if the present Government goes around giving out 4% pay rises, investors take notice. When the financial markets calm down from this over indebtedness, which will be in years not months, then the teachers can ask for all the pay rises they want.
Vote:All NZ’ders need to be aware of this, and I do not think it is very helpful comparing us to Australia. Their pay rates across all sectors that are mouth watering. You will have to trust all NZ’ders, that they will grow our GDP to pay for all future public service pay rises. Also, education in a society is always an investment.
December 2nd, 2010 at 7:45 pm
I’m well aware of that Jimbob. Nowhere in my post did I say government spending has to increase. If you re-read my post you will see I talked about spending priorities.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 8:41 pm
So bc, you are advocating cuts in Government spending to pay for a 4% pay rise. Well that’s a curly one. The shouts would be deafening from the rest of the public service looking for their 4%, the unions, and the opposition on that one. No matter which way you look at the PPTA’s argument, it is not possible at this present point in time to cut the cake in different ways to give this 4% pay rise. As in David’s post he suggests that the NZEI union seems to leading the way on this one.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Teachers tend to live in a world of their own. There is a real world out there and teachers never really have a grasp on it. To ask for a pay raise when people are lossing their jobs is pretty arrogant to me. 2.7 percent 4 percent, both way too much. We are having one of the worst crises since the depression and the teachers are striking because of National Standards… they don’t deserve it. I never really give teachers much credence so, I would say that the taxpayers are getting ripped off, especially the ones that lost their jobs during this economic downturn.
Vote:December 2nd, 2010 at 10:43 pm
So let me get this right Jimbob – you think all public servants should get the same pay rise? Sounds very socialist to me – I thought you all belived in the free market round here?
Vote:I don’t subscribe to the idea that all public servants should get the same pay rise. Each sector should bargain on it’s on merits – hey Jimbob, just like in the “real world”! And who are you to say it’s not possible? Since when are you “the decider” (to use a Bush-ism)
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:45 pm
jackp – I don’t know of a single teacher that has striked because of National standards. Find me one and I will stand corrected. Until then you are talking rubbish.
For you info: National Standards are in primary schools.
Vote: