Please attribute to Iona Holsted Secretary for Education

It is hard to understand why the teaching unions are threatening further campaigns before the NZEI members get the opportunity to vote on the settlement offer, and while the PPTA is still in active bargaining with the Ministry.

There has been some confusion about the settlement offer NZEI has received for primary teachers.

All primary teachers would receive three pay rises worth 9.3 percent in total, within 24 months, on top of their normal progression through the pay scale. The first of these increases would be backdated to 8 November (2018), upon accepting the offer.

In addition a new step has been added to the top of the primary teaching pay-scale. As the majority of teachers are on the top two steps of the pay-scale (nearly 16,000) it means they will have a further increase and teachers not at the top can look forward to further progression.

The new maximum steps mean that those at the top of the pay-scale will get an increase of $10,000 taking them to $85,481.

The salary figures provided above do not include the additional units (worth $4,000) and allowances many teachers receive, for taking on management responsibilities or specialist roles.

It is important that we settle these negotiations and minimise disruption for children and parents.

To meet NZEI’s claims including those not able to be addressed through bargaining, would cost $2.5 billion. The Government has been clear there won’t be further increases in the $698 million available to settle the primary teachers and principals claim. However we remain open to negotiating how this money is spent, including release time.

Notes to editors:

The key features for the offer include:

-All teachers will benefit from pay rises of 9.3 percent by 2020; and

-All teachers have access to a higher step of either $82,992 or $85,481 depending on their qualifications; and

-64 percent of all teachers (nearly 16,000) will achieve the new maximum in the next 24 months; and

-All other teachers will progress annually to these new maximum rates

New Zealand primary teacher salaries are not able to be easily compared to other countries as it excludes the different conditions of work that apply for teachers in other settings.

For more information visit http://www.education.govt.nz/news/revised-offer-to-primary-principals-and-teachers/

ENDS

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