Gerry Brownlee National Education Spokesperson

Monday 12 March 2001

Union needs to get real

The PPTA's latest employment agreement claims are typical of the clumsy approach taken by the union, National's Education spokesperson Gerry Brownlee said today.

"The PPTA are asking for more money and less work. The PPTA's bungling approach will serve only to exacerbate looming teacher shortages in our secondary schools. Teachers are becoming increasingly fed up with the way they are perceived by the public.

"Good teachers should be paid more and rewarded for their work but in typical style the PPTA wants an across the board increase.

"If we are to retain good teachers in New Zealand we must provide them with an incentive to stay.

"The biggest obstruction to teachers receiving fair reward for their work has been the PPTA's insistence upon a rigid hierarchically driven pay scale.

"If the PPTA are so concerned about the additional workload foisted on teachers as a result of the introduction of the NCEA, why are they Trevor Mallard's biggest team of cheerleaders for a qualification system that some educationalists label a dumbing down?

"The Education Minister should break his silence and tell the PPTA to get real. But he won't because you don't step offside with the cheerleaders," Mr Brownlee said.

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