Minister’s Reply

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32358, 25 July 1970, Page 44

Minister’s Reply

(N.Z. Press Association) WELLINGTON, July 24. The Minister of Education (Mr Taiboys) today issued a statement in response to the clamour of criticism from school teachers. “Teachers in some branches of the Post-Primary Teachers’ Association have asked for reassurances on the future of the profession, and satisfaction in the current wage claim for secondary teachers,” Mr Taiboys said. “As to the future of the profession, secondary education is expanding fast, as it has been for 10 years, and offer ing unprecedented opportunities for advancement for teachers. “Their representatives are at the moment negotiating with officers of the Department of Education to ascertain what progress can be made in continuing the progressive liberalisation of staffing that has been taking place over the last two years, in accordance with the Government’s pledge in 1968. . “Plan of Liberalisation” “We have been recruiting in Britain in order to help meet the plan of liberalisation. Help has been given to new teachers, to schools with

large numoers of Polynesian pupils, and more guidance counsellors are steadily being appointed. “It is realised that there is much yet to be done in improving the quality of staff. However, we are now drawing more of the uncommitted graduates into teaching in addition to those recruited under the studentship scheme—and progressive improvement can be expected. This can only take place over a number of years. “As to salaries, Post-Pri-mary Teachers’ Association-

members must be aware that their own representatives have just this month filed a claim to be heard by the Education Service Committee. “It would be quite improper for me as Minister of Education to express any view on the case it will be considering. 1 can only say—as 1 have said before—that as Minister, I of course wish to see a well-paid, satisfied teaching body; but as for the present claim, the Government can only await the outcome. I would emphasise that the association has still another court of appeal—to the Government Service Tribunal —if it is not satisfied with the outcome of its present case. The decisions of the tribunal are mandatory.” It was wrong to assert that teachers had not had a revaluation of their salaries since the early 19505, said-Mr Taiboys. In 1964, an advisory committee on higher salaries made recommendations to the Government on pay scales to senior state employees. Included in the positions surveyed were: the principal of the largest technical institute, the principal of the largest teachers’ training college, the principal of the largest secondary school, and the headmaster of the largest primary school. Membership Of Committee “The membership of this higher salaries committee, when it was first set up in 1963, was Mr J. B. Price, managing director of Shell New Zealand, as chairman; Mr J. T. Andrews, a bank manager; Mr E. W. McCallum, a farmer; Sir Clifford Plimmer, a company director; and Mr J. T. Watts, a solicitor and former Minister of Finance. “In actual fact, in 1964, as a result of the recommendations of the committee, teachers at senior levels received a revaluation of their salaries relative to other branches of the State services.” Mr Talboys said. “In 1969, as a result of the passing of the State Services Remuneration and Conditions of Employment Act, both teacher organisations—for reasons best known to themselves—elected to withdraw the setting of their top salaries from the jurisdiction of the Higher Salaries Committee. As a result, the 1969 act provides for a special machinery for dealing with educational salaries—and the two applications which have been lodged by the teacher organisations are being dealt with under those procedures.’’ Impatience Understood He understood the impatience of teachers while their case was being heard, but he must point out that they had been receiving the same increases to meet rises in the cost of living, and movements in outside wage rates, as other branches of the State services, Mr Taiboys said. He did not think threats of direct action -stop-work meetings and the like—did their case any good, particularly when they were coupled with criticism of their own executive. “I have no wish to see the secondary teachers divided. A strong and united association is in the best interests of us all,” Mr Taiboys said. “I have avoided a public debate on the statistics advanced by the teachers’ representatives in support of increased salaries—as these should be, and will be, ana. lysed and considered by th* Education Service Committee in the negotiations about to take place,” he said.