Media Release April 16, 2009
From NZEI Te Riu Roa
For immediate use

School Support Staff Deliver Message To Government MPs Around New Zealand: “Get Around The Table And Talk Fair Pay”

Groups of NZEI members will visit 30 Coalition Government MPs as part of nation-wide activities on Friday morning (11am, April 17th) urging the Government to begin negotiations about fair pay and job security for school support staff.

The government has delayed negotiations on their collective agreement, which expired on March 1.

“These negotiations are a vital opportunity for the government to address our low pay issues,” NZEI National Executive and support staff member Gaye Parlane says. “Most of us work at the frontline of education supporting the teaching and learning of children, yet wages are as little as $12.94 an hour – only marginally above the new minimum wage of $12.50.”

“The Government says it wants improvement in children’s reading and maths, which will depend on teacher aides providing individual support for students. It says it wants efficient and effective schools. Paying teacher aides, school administrators, librarians and other school support staff a fair wage and giving them greater job security is critical to achieving those goals.”

Support staff were promised a pay jolt by the Labour government last year and want to see the new government provide the extra money needed, and negotiate it into reality.

NZEI lodged claims for support staff in November last year, and has sought bargaining dates since early February.

“As the first major state sector agreement to come up for bargaining under the new National government, we see this as the test of its commitment to respond to our issues through collective bargaining. So far it has failed that test,” Gaye Parlane says. “The delays are extremely frustrating for the 13,000 NZEI members covered by the agreement.”

ENDS

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