Big Step Towards Fair Pay For Vulnerable Workers - NZEI Te Riu Roa

11 June 2022

New Zealand’s largest education union NZEI Te Riu Roa has been heartened by the International Labour Union’s support for the introduction of Fair Pay Agreements (FPAs), saying they will lift quality in the early childhood education sectors by ensuring staff are paid fairly and transparently.

The decision was released overnight (Friday/Saturday) by the organisation’s Committee on the Application of Standards (CAS) following a hearing earlier this week.

Despite the protestation of Business NZ, who brought the case before the organisation, the Committee saw no reason to halt the passage of the legislation that is currently before New Zealand’s Parliament.

The Committee heard from Government, worker and employer representatives from a wide range of countries, with the newly-elected Labor government in Australia showing strong support for New Zealand’s proposed legislation.

“This is a big win for under-paid workers in New Zealand,” NZEI Te Riu Roa president Liam Rutherford said. “For ECE teachers and other staff, an FPA would help lift pay, improve conditions and crucially, attract and keep kaiako in the sector.

"At the moment, low pay and intense work loads are driving a significant teacher shortage and high churn in teaching staff.

“Crucially, this is also a win for our babies and youngest citizens and their whānau because high quality education and care depends on building relationships and quality teaching.

"We hope a Fair Pay Agreement for ECE will introduce better ratios, consistent rules on health and safety, and enable teachers and other staff in ECE to be supported to provide the highest quality ECE for our tamariki."

Council of Trade Unions president Richard Wagstaff, who was at the ILO conference in Geneva, praised the decision as the Committee rejected a disinformation campaign by Business New Zealand designed to discredit the FPA legislation.

“It's time for FPAs opponents to stick to the facts,” Mr Wagstaff said.

“A debate on the merits will show this is a positive change for New Zealand and brings us in line with jurisdictions like Australia that already have a form of modern awards and consistently boast higher wages than New Zealand.

“The lack of support (for) Business New Zealand in the CAS discussion highlighted how out of step their organisation is with other businesses, governments and workers in the international ILO community.”

© Scoop Media