Hon Bill English National Party Leader
20 May 2002
Wildcat strikes indicative of teacher frustrations
Labour's action of trying to console teachers with $30 million may have brought peace at the picket line for their
conference, but the latest planned wildcat strikes show they have not secured teachers for our children, says National
Party Leader Bill English.
"I am not at all surprised that teachers feel as though they have been taken for granted by Helen Clark. She could have
produced the extra $30 million months ago and resolved the dispute with teachers' good will.
"If it is good enough to suddenly find money for teachers now what was Labour doing for the last 15 months when teachers
first raised their concerns?
"What these strikes indicate is the level of deep frustration still harboured by teachers who can see that Labour just
can't get to grips with the real problems facing education today.
"I, like many other parents around New Zealand, am getting more and more alarmed at how this Labour Government has
failed to resolve the growing anger in the education sector. They are putting thousands of students at risk and that is
just not good enough," says Mr English.
Ends