Secondary teachers across Aotearoa are now considering a revised pay offer from the Government, with voting underway to decide whether to accept or reject the proposal.
The offer, which would settle the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement covering more than 19,700 teachers nationwide, includes pay increases. However, the rises are unevenly distributed across the workforce and remain below both current and projected inflation.
Chris Abercrombie, president of PPTA Te Wehengarua, says the organisation’s national executive has reviewed the proposal and does not believe it goes far enough.
“We believe it is insufficient to meet the needs of secondary schools, secondary students, and the teaching profession,” Abercrombie explained.
Concerns Beyond Pay
The union argues that the Government’s latest offer fails to address wider issues, including:
- The growing workload demands on teachers.
- Significant changes underway in the secondary school assessment and qualifications systems.
- The urgent need for more pastoral care staff, as increasing numbers of students face personal challenges that affect their ability to learn.
Abercrombie noted that teachers want salaries and conditions that keep experienced educators in the profession during a worsening teacher shortage.
“More and more young people are doing it tough, and they deserve access to pastoral care so they’re in the right space to learn,” he said.
A Call for Real Investment
While the Government has promoted its vision of a “world-leading education system,” the PPTA argues such a system cannot be achieved without properly investing in teachers and support staff.
“World-leading systems cannot be built on the cheap,” Abercrombie said.
Teachers have until Thursday to cast their votes on the revised offer.