Educators across the country are shocked that the Government has chosen to restrict public servants' pay for a further
three years, says education union NZEI Te Riu Roa.
Teachers, principals and support staff, and a huge range of other education professionals, are all set to be affected by
the announcement.
NZEI Te Riu Roa President Liam Rutherford says the decision is concerning, and unfair on educators who have played a key
role in our COVID-19 recovery.
"Over the last year we've already seen the impact of this policy on our learning support staff members, who provide
individualised support for school children with specific needs. They are currently negotiating their own collective
agreement - and these pay restrictions have made it incredibly difficult for them to make headway with their legitimate
claims.
"We've all seen that our educators have really gone the extra mile to support our tamariki and our communities during
the pandemic - working extra hours, innovating quickly, and emotionally supporting and reassuring children and their
whānau. To be thanked like this, with an announcement that they shouldn't expect even standard pay progression in their
upcoming negotiations, is truly shocking.
"Our teachers' and principals' collective agreements are set to be renegotiated next year, within the timeframe of this
announcement. Understandably, they're now worried and uncertain about their prospects. Since yesterday morning our
members have been flooding our phonelines wanting clarification on how this will affect them. They're disheartened and
dispirited.
"In the last round of collective agreement negotiations, our teachers and principals received a significant pay
correction that has brought them closer to their counterparts elsewhere in the public sector. But without ongoing pay
increases, they'll quickly fall behind again - we've achieved too much now to return to that.
"As New Zealand recovers from COVID-19, it's unacceptable for us to leave any of our public servants, who have cared for
us and supported us throughout the pandemic, behind."