Pay Parity: Mallard Causes Another Headache

Wednesday 21 Aug 2002

Having accepted the arbitrated resolution of the teacher pay dispute, Trevor Mallard must now explain how he intends to placate upset primary school teachers, ACT Education Spokesman Donna Awatere Huata said today.

"Has Mr Mallard helped our fifteen year-olds at the expense of our five year-olds?

"The Government must urgently commission research to show whether the jobs of primary and post-primary teachers are so similar that equal wages are justified. This hasn't been done for years now, so we have no accurate or objective measure.

"The short-term resolution of the secondary dispute is welcome. However, the rotten system remains rotten, and Mr Mallard continues to support it.

"This pay deal doesn't guarantee good teachers more - nothing except devolved funding offers that.

"What a mess Mr Mallard has made. He must devolve funding and allow individual communities to pay good teachers more.

"Under the arbitration, pay increases are being made for length of service rather than merit - is an older teacher necessarily a better one? If so, does Mr Mallard believe everyone should be paid on that basis? How about politicians? I am certain Mr Mallard would advocate against merit-based wages for politicians because on the past two years' experience he would be earning nothing," Mrs Awatere Huata said.

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