Work Begins To Secure A Fair Pay Agreement For ECE Sector

NZEI Te Riu Roa members are celebrating the passing of the Fair Pay Agreements Bill in Parliament today and will now begin gathering signatures to trigger a Fair Pay Agreement for early childhood education (ECE).

“The FPA legislation will allow teachers and other staff in ECE to come together across the whole sector and figure out solutions to many of the problems we currently face. This is something we’ve never been able to do before, and given the state of the sector it’s arrived not a moment too soon,” says NZEI Te Riu Roa ECE representative Virginia Oakly.

“Over the coming weeks and months we will be beginning the conversation in the sector about what we wish to see reflected in the ECE Fair Pay Agreement. We know kaiako and kaimahi in the sector will be very excited to be a part of this discussion, and look forward to coming together with ECE employers to agree an FPA that will work for everyone.”

NZEI Te Riu Roa President Liam Rutherford says the legislation is a game changer for working people across New Zealand.

“FPAs break us out of the old framework of industrial relations we’ve been stuck with since the 90s, and point to a new world of work where workers have a say in their terms and conditions and can use that say to ensure they’re treated fairly and properly valued for their mahi. In ECE, this can only lead to better quality education for tamariki.”

Unions will shortly begin a nationwide roadshow bringing Fair Pay Agreements to every town, so that all workers can learn more about the process and sign up to secure a FPA for their sector.

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