Scoop has an Ethical Paywall
Work smarter with a Pro licence Learn More

Gordon Campbell | Parliament TV | Parliament Today | News Video | Crime | Employers | Housing | Immigration | Legal | Local Govt. | Maori | Welfare | Unions | Youth | Search

 

Kindergarten teachers begin negotiations


3 July 2019

Kindergarten teacher members of NZEI Te Riu Roa begin negotiations with the Ministry of Education today over the renewal of their collective agreement.

Early childhood representative on NZEI's National Executive, Virginia Oakly, says the first order of business in negotiations will be securing pay parity for kindergarten teachers.

"Kindergarten teachers are teachers. They've had pay parity with primary teachers in the past. Now that primary teachers have secured parity with their secondary colleagues, we'll be looking to secure the same deal for kindergarten teachers through a unified pay scale," she said.

"We'll also be raising serious issues around workload, release time, and retention of experienced teachers," she said.

Shelley Shennan, a head kindergarten teacher and member of the negotiation team, says the expectations on the profession have escalated significantly over the past decade.

"There's an escalating set of expectations on today's kindergarten teachers. Beyond the full attention we give to each child's learning, we're also increasingly playing a pastoral care role within the community. That can be complex and takes a lot of new skills and time," she said.

The Kindergarten Teachers' Collective Agreement expired on 31 May, and until now teachers had been frustrated by a delay in the Ministry setting dates for negotiation, writing en masse to the Secretary for Education asking for progress.

"We're pleased we're now finally around the table, but it's unacceptable that we're only just beginning negotiations when we're already more than a month past expiry of the collective agreement," says Ms Oakly.

ENDS

Advertisement - scroll to continue reading

Are you getting our free newsletter?

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.

© Scoop Media

 
 
 
Parliament Headlines | Politics Headlines | Regional Headlines


Gordon Campbell: On The US Opposition To Mortgage Interest Deductibility For Landlords


Should landlords be able to deduct the interest on the loans they take out to bankroll their property speculation? The US Senate Budget Committee and Bloomberg News don't think this is a good idea, for reasons set out below. Regardless, our coalition government has been burning through a ton of political capital by giving landlords a huge $2.9 billion tax break via interest deductibility, while still preaching the need for austerity to the disabled, and to everyone else...
More


 
 

Government: Concerns Conveyed To China Over Cyber Activity
Foreign Minister Winston Peters has confirmed New Zealand’s concerns about cyber activity have been conveyed directly to the Chinese Government. “The Prime Minister and Minister Collins have expressed concerns today about malicious cyber activity... More

ALSO:


Government: GDP Decline Reinforces Government’s Fiscal Plan

Declining GDP for the December quarter reinforces the importance of restoring fiscal discipline to public spending and driving more economic growth, Finance Minister Nicola Willis says... More

ALSO:


Government: Humanitarian Support For Gaza & West Bank

Winston Peters has announced NZ is providing a further $5M to respond to the extreme humanitarian need in Gaza and the West Bank. “The impact of the Israel-Hamas conflict on civilians is absolutely appalling," he said... More


Government: New High Court Judge Appointed

Judith Collins has announced the appointment of Wellington Barrister Jason Scott McHerron as a High Court Judge. Justice McHerron graduated from the University of Otago with a BA in English Literature in 1994 and an LLB in 1996... More

 
 
 
 
 
 

LATEST HEADLINES

  • PARLIAMENT
  • POLITICS
  • REGIONAL
 
 

InfoPages News Channels


 
 
 
 

Join Our Free Newsletter

Subscribe to Scoop’s 'The Catch Up' our free weekly newsletter sent to your inbox every Monday with stories from across our network.