Take The Politics Out Of The Classroom, Says NZSTA

The New Zealand School Trustees Association says it’s time the secondary school teachers pay dispute went back to where it belongs – the negotiating table.

President Chris France says its time the politics came out of the classroom. The only place the dispute can be resolved will be around the negotiating table, not in the country’s schools.

“We’re now entering week four of the strike action and our students have missed out on enough schooling. It’s time for the union and the ministry to renew negotiations and try and resolve this dispute.”

In the heat of this industrial action, it is important that the students are not forgotten. “Schools are there for the students and as long as this continues the students are not getting taught and the negotiations are no closer to a resolution,” he says.

Boards of trustees are not party to the negotiations but can see that continuing with the strike action is only driving the union and the ministry further apart. The only outcome is a negative impact on students. There is also, already, a distrust being created between boards, teachers and principals that will take much longer to recover from and will have a further long term impact on student learning.

“Boards are anxious to see this dispute resolved because the longer it drags on the greater the impact on students. With exams looming trustees, as parents and caregivers, want to see children in school studying with their teachers there to help them,” Chris France says.

“It’s time to leave the students to their school work and take this pay dispute back to the negotiating table – because that’s the only place it’s going to get resolved.”

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For further information contact:

Chris France
027 444 1397

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