23 May 2019

With the news today area schools have planned to join next week’s mega-strike, there will be another 2300 teachers on the streets causing further disruption to parents and students, National’s Education spokesperson Nikki Kaye says.

“The Prime Minister and Minister of Finance need to step in and be a circuit breaker to help resolve the strikes. The strike has grown larger and the industrial action is expected to involve 50,000 teachers.

“The PPTA have confirmed for secondary students potential dates over a five week period which include regional strikes and year level strikes. For some parents with secondary students they could be facing more than three days of industrial action.

“Teachers, students and parents need to see collective bargaining resolved. Children are suffering with thousands of hours of teaching lost.

“In Parliament this week Education Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed the gridlock will remain because he refused to rule out changing the bargaining parameters.

“He also said yesterday teachers will be disappointed in the upcoming Budget, which does not bode well for resolving the collective bargaining. This isn’t fair on students, it isn’t fair on parents, and it isn’t fair on teachers who would prefer to be in the classroom.

“The Government’s wasteful spending on the fees-free flop and the education underspend makes a mockery of the Minister and Prime Minister’s statement that there is no more money. The gridlock needs to end, otherwise strike action and disruption looks set to continue for weeks to come.”

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