By Jemima Huston
Photo: RNZ / Samuel Rillstone
Secondary teachers are back in negotiations with the government, but will not rule out further strikes if they do not reach an agreement.
About 50,000 primary, secondary and kindergarten teachers walked off the job to call for better pay and resources.
Post Primary Teachers Association acting president Chris Abercrombie said he hoped the Ministry of Education would come to the table.
“The membership is very clear in its desire for what it wants in the settlement and what it believes is needed to secure the future of our education system to ensure we have qualified teachers in front of every student in this country”.
Abercrombie said secondary teachers wanted more money and resources to provide better pastoral care and improve teachers’ cultural compentancies.
They also wanted better pay.
“Teachers haven’t had a pay rise since July 2021 and you may have noticed things have got a lot more expensive since then.
“If we want to attract and retain teachers those are the things we need to do”.
The union for primary and kindergarten teachers is confident Thursday’s strike sent the government a very strong message.
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter
Photo: RNZ / John Gerritsen
NZEI Te Riu Roa president Mark Potter said the Ministry of Education had clearly indicated it wanted to find a resolution as soon as possible.
“So what we’re looking forward to is the Ministry of Education and government coming back to the negotiating table and I’m confident that they want this settled early so they know that it’s going to take a better offer than we’ve had previously”.
Potter said if a settlement was not made further strike action is one option their members will consider.
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