4 September 2013

Minister ‘blacks out’ what’s really happening with Novopay

Tomorrow marks a black day for teachers nationwide, with the pay period that begins a second year of Novopay woes.

Claims by minister responsible for Novopay Steven Joyce that most staff were now getting paid properly were “deeply disingenuous,” PPTA president Angela Roberts said.

In an August media release Joyce states “the backlog of 12,000 pay instructions has been cleared” – something Roberts insists is not the case.

“I can assure you, that backlog of issues is most definitely not clear,” she said.

Joyce’s glossing over the issue had left the many teachers still struggling with pay issues feeling they had been forgotten, Roberts said.

To show that is not the case some teachers in affected schools will be taking part in a “black out” day – dressing in black to protest at the way the minister has blacked out their issues.

Roberts said teachers in schools throughout the country had chosen to do the same, to stand in solidarity with their colleagues.

“The minister has downplayed these teachers’ concerns. Yes we are making progress, but it is not good enough. Everyone has the right to expect to be paid correctly and be able to access leave. Novopay is not fixed, and it’s not okay,” she said

Currently PPTA is waiting for a court date to be set for a group legal action on behalf of members against the secretary for education for failing in his statutory duty to pay teachers.
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