The Ministry of Education today signed Terms of Settlement with NZEI Te Riu Roa to address a pay equity claim for 329 staff providing support to young children with additional learning needs. The Terms were also signed by three Ministry staff who lodged the claim, along with the union, in 2015.

Next, the Ministry and NZEI Te Riu Roa will jointly present the settlement at meetings around the country over the next month, where all Ministry support workers will vote on whether to accept the settlement.

This workforce is currently paid between $16.77 and $19.87. If accepted, the settlement would see the lowest hourly rates move to $21.67 with a new top step of $24.73 for those who have completed four to nine years’ service. Support workers with ten or more years’ service on 1 July 2018, will move to a new rate of $25.70 an hour.

The process to jointly examine the claim and reach agreement took 17 months to complete after mediation began in April 2017.

Secretary for Education Iona Holsted said the claim was the first to be progressed under new pay equity principles agreed by the Government, business and unions, which are now informing legislation being developed to make future claims easier.

"As we’ve been breaking new ground, both parties have had to work carefully and thoroughly through the jointly-agreed process. I’m pleased that we’ve remained committed to working productively together to get to this point," she said.

‘"Signing the terms is a significant step towards reaching agreement with this highly valued group of staff. I’m hopeful we can achieve that as soon as possible," Ms Holsted says.

For more information:

Attached background information

Ministry of Education: media@education.govt.nz

http://img.scoop.co.nz/media/pdfs/1808/MoE_MESW_Pay_Equity_PR__Background_info_14_August_1.pdf

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