Gerry Brownlee National Education Spokesperson
Monday 12 March 2001
Union needs to get real
The PPTA's latest employment agreement claims are typical of the clumsy approach taken by the union, National's
Education spokesperson Gerry Brownlee said today.
"The PPTA are asking for more money and less work. The PPTA's bungling approach will serve only to exacerbate looming
teacher shortages in our secondary schools. Teachers are becoming increasingly fed up with the way they are perceived by
the public.
"Good teachers should be paid more and rewarded for their work but in typical style the PPTA wants an across the board
increase.
"If we are to retain good teachers in New Zealand we must provide them with an incentive to stay.
"The biggest obstruction to teachers receiving fair reward for their work has been the PPTA's insistence upon a rigid
hierarchically driven pay scale.
"If the PPTA are so concerned about the additional workload foisted on teachers as a result of the introduction of the
NCEA, why are they Trevor Mallard's biggest team of cheerleaders for a qualification system that some educationalists
label a dumbing down?
"The Education Minister should break his silence and tell the PPTA to get real. But he won't because you don't step
offside with the cheerleaders," Mr Brownlee said.
Ends