Ministry disappointed by rejection of offer

14 September 2011

Ministry disappointed by rejection of offer

The Ministry of Education is deeply disappointed that the New Zealand Educational Institute has rejected its offer to settle the Kindergarten Teachers, Head Teachers and Senior Teachers’ Collective Agreement (KTCA).

“Pay is not the sticking point”, said Fiona McTavish, Group Manager Education Workforce. “Kindergarten teachers have already received a 2.75% pay increase this year and a $300 lump sum, as a result of having a Unified Pay Scale with primary teachers”.

Ms McTavish said the issue was the amount of non-contact time available to teachers in just over a quarter of New Zealand’s kindergartens.

“Most kindergarten teachers have 10 hours a week release time for things like planning, record keeping, and contact with families and whānau,” she said.

“Teachers at sessional kindergartens with an all-day licence currently have 14 hours a week release time. The Ministry proposed reducing this to 12 hours a week as a step towards greater fairness and consistency across the sector”.

“This would affect only 165 of the 632 kindergartens in New Zealand. It is deeply disappointing that negotiations remain stuck on this point. We will continue to urge the New Zealand Educational Institute to work towards settlement,” said Fiona McTavish.

ENDS

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