‘Schools will stay open in Canty’

Press, 18 March 1982, Page 1

‘Schools will stay open in Canty’

Although most Canterbury primary schoolteachers will strike on Monday afternoon and attend stop-work meetings, the schools will stay open.

This was emphasised by the general manager of the Canterbury Education Board, Mr D. Wilson, yesterday, after the time of the meetings was confirmed. "Only the board has the authority to close schools and they will stay open regardless of the number of teachers who stop work" Mr Wilson said. Canterbury teachers who are members of the New Zealand Educational Institute — about 95 per cent are members — will attend stopwork meetings to discuss the rejection of their pay claim by the Government Service Tribunal.

In Christchurch meetings will be held concurrently from 1.30 p.m. at Casebrook Intermediate School and Christchurch South Intermediate School. Mr Wilson said the board would tell parents that most children would be allowed to go home at 12 noon on Monday. “There will obviously not be enough teachers left to supervise them at most schools,” he said.

In cases where the parents of children were both working, or where children could not get transport home, the board expected the children to be kept at school. "We expect they would be looked after by ancillary staff or by teachers who are not N.Z.E.I. members," he said.

Teachers who stop work will be docked half a day’s pay because their action will be. defined legally as a strike.

The president of the Christchurch branch of the N.Z.E.1., Mr L. Chilton, said teachers would be told at Monday’s meeting what had happened to their pay claim. They would then discuss it.

Mr Chilton said the meetings would be closed to both the press and the public. A statement would be made afterwards.