National's Policy Doesn't Go Far Enough
National's Policy Doesn't Go Far Enough
Thursday 20 Jun 2002 Richard Prebble Press Releases -- Primary & Secondary Education
ACT leader Richard Prebble says his party has long advocated that good teachers should be paid more, to ensure a quality education system.
"National's policy is a step in the right direction but fails to address the reality that the breakdown in the teachers' wage negotiations is not just due to a lack of money. It is also due to an antiquated industrial system where the government has to negotiate with a trade union for a single award covering every teacher in every school - an industrial regime the rest of New Zealand abandoned years ago.
"Schools should be able to employ and reward teachers directly.
"I don't know of any school board in New Zealand that wouldn't pay good teachers more if they could.
"The teachers' strike is a sign that the system has failed. We need a practical alternative to the outdated award negotiation system. Schools must be able to employ teachers directly," Mr Prebble said.
ENDS
For more information visit ACT online at http://www.act.org.nz or contact the ACT Parliamentary Office at act@parliament.govt.nz.