Nationwide rallies tomorrow as Learning Support Specialists strike
20 August 2018
NZEI TE Riu Roa members who are psychologists, speech language therapists and other learning support specialists,
employed directly by the Ministry of Education, are set to strike for a day on Tuesday 21 August.
This group of professionals provide specialist, itinerant support to the increasing number of children with the highest
learning needs in schools and ECE centres. They want more support for their huge caseloads and an improvement in the pay
offer from the Ministry.
Learning Support Specialists and their supporters will be rallying tomorrow at 18 events from Whangarei to Invercargill.
NZEI Te Riu Roa National Executive member Byron Sanders is on the negotiation team and said the members' vote was a
strong one, and a clear indication of the anger felt about the Ministry's offer to them of a 2% pay increase on the day
of ratification and a further 2% on 1 March 2019.
The Ministry employs about 850 Learning Support specialists, who include educational psychologists, early intervention
teachers, advisors on deaf children, Kaitakawaenga, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, speech language
therapists and special education advisors. There are also the specialists who go into schools to support students, staff
and communities after a tragedy.
Learning Support specialists should not be confused with Ministry-employed Support Workers. Support Workers work with
individual children mainly in early childhood centres, putting into practice the individual programmes developed by
their specialist colleagues.
ENDS