PPTA Members Polled On Additional Pay Claim To Recognise Pay Equity Loss

Members of PPTA Te Wehengarua, the secondary school teachers’ union, are being polled on whether they want to lodge an additional pay claim in their upcoming collective agreement negotiations now that new pay equity law has locked them out of the process.

“The shocking changes made recently to the Equal Pay Act have not only extinguished our members’ claim for pay equity, but they also prevent us from making a claim in the future,” says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua president.

Secondary teachers do not meet the new threshold of being in a profession that is made up of at least 70% women.

New comparator rules also lock teachers out of pay equity claims as the education sector is female dominated.

PPTA members had expected the pay equity process to help address the low wages which are a key driver of the current secondary teacher shortage crisis.

“So, we are holding a vote for members to decide if they want to lodge an additional pay claim in the collective agreement negotiations due to begin soon.

“This additional claim would recognise the fact that a pay equity claim process is no longer available to us, because of the changes that were steamrolled through Parliament, without public discussion or mandate, to fill the holes in the Budget.”

The ballot of 21,000 PPTA Te Wehengarua members opens today and closes next Friday.

Results will be available around 11 June.

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