Teachers reject offer

Press, Volume CXI, Issue 32778, 1 December 1971, Page 18

Teachers reject offer

The Christchurch branch of the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutes has rejected the 3 per cent wage increase offered by the Education Service Committee, the chairman of the branch (Mr J. P. Gavigan) said yesterday. A Press Association report from Wellington, however, says that the president of the Association of Teachers in Technical Institutes (Mr D. J. A Hercus) said last night the offer had been accepted “with extreme reservations.” “When- the claim was lodged, the result of the salary claim for secondary teachers was not known,” Mr Hercus said. As a result, no direct relativity with secondary teachers could be claimed, and the association had to lodge a claim on other grounds, he said. When the results of the teachers’ salary claims became known, the association had sought * have these

taken into account, but this request was refused by the committe, because the claim for relativity with teachers was not directly specified in the association’s original claim, Mr Hercus said. It is understood there is a strong possibility of the association lodging another claim with the committee within a very short time, says the Press Association report. SECRET BALLOT Mr Gavigan said that a secret ballot taken by the Christchurch branch had resulted in a rejection of the offer, 51 votes to 34. “Why have Post Primary Teachers’ Association members been given a 17 per cent increase in 1971, when their counterparts in technical institutes, in some cases doing similar teaching, and in other cases doing teaching of a much higher standard, received an offer of only 3 per cent?” Mr Gavigan said that in 1965 he accepted in good faith, on behalf of all technical tutors in technical institutes, the Department of Education’s offer of basing technical-instituft salary

scales on post-primary scales, with overtime for evening-school teaching. The latest offer effectively removed the payment of overtime for evening teaching in the future. “SHORT SIGHTED” “The Cabinet Ministers have taken a short-sighted view on the future needs of technical education,” he said. “Technicians and tradesmen are not trained solely by the provision of buildings, equipment and bursaries for full-time study. Teaching staff of the highest standard needs to be retained and recruited.

“Why should the present 850 highly-qualified teaching staff, including more than 200 graduates, be so poorly treated by a Government allegedly committed to the advancement of technical education?

“It is to be hoped some urgency will be given to the hearing of a new claim based on relativity. Association members have been waiting since August, 1970, for some decision on this last claim,” said Mr Gavigan.