School support staff face tough decision over pay equity
This week, thousands of school support staff will start holding paid union meetings around the country to decide whether
the promise of a future pay equity settlement is enough to outweigh a miserly pay offer from the Ministry of Education.
After six months of collective agreement negotiations between NZEI Te Riu Roa and the ministry, support staff were
finally offered pay rises ranging between 1.1-1.6 percent. However, if accepted, the settlement will trigger planning of
a process for pay equity talks for teacher aides. Negotiations for other support staff will follow.
NZEI President Lynda Stuart said support staff had a tough decision to make at the meetings which will be held between 1
and 16 August.
“The pay offer is pitiful, especially for people who are already often on extremely low wages and precarious employment
from term to term. We also pushed hard for any increase to be funded by the government, but that was refused and schools
will have to pay the increase out of their stretched operating budgets,” she said.
“The only cause for optimism is the prospect of a pay equity settlement for teacher aides, with other support staff to
follow. Aged care workers received government-funded pay rises of 20-40% through their settlement, so support staff may
choose to accept the low pay rise now in anticipation of a big win down the track.
“Pay equity is the single biggest opportunity the education sector has to win the major improvement in pay and
conditions that support staff deserve.”