Teachers refuse new round of negotiations

Press, 21 February 1986, Page 4

Teachers refuse new round of negotiations

By

ASHLEY CAMPBELL

education reporter

Secondary teachers want to end their pay dispute, but they will not negotiate any more, says the Post-Primary Teachers’ Association president, Mr Peter Allen. "We are continuing to say to the Government that we are prepared to listen to any propositions that the Government will put to us about a way out of this dispute, but we will not go back to a new round of negotiations,” Mr Allen said from Wellington yesterday. “The propositions that the Government will put to us must be in a form

that will enable us to resolve the dispute quickly.” The incident at Parliament yesterday was symptomatic of the mood of teachers throughout New Zealand, Mr Allen said. “I think it is another indication to the Government that they need to settle this quickly, otherwise it is going to get more entrenched.” Government Ministers were wrong to say the P.P.T.A. had exaggerated teacher shortages, Mr Allen said. The association estimated there were 350 teaching jobs vacant throughout New Zealand. “That means there are

about- 35,000 children a day who are not receiving an adequate education. That can take a number of forms, “It can take the form of having no teachers in the classroom. It can take the form of classes being compressed, with more children in the class. Teachers can take more classes than normal, which means they do not have as much preparation time. It means some subjects are dropped. "I don’t think you can say that the prospect of 35,000 children receiving an inadequate education is a small problem.” People might think there was not much difference between the package proposed by the P.P.T.A. and the Government offer, Mr Allen said, but the association had already made significant compromises. “The original offer (for a senior teacher) was $32,800. Our original claim was $37,600. With the Education Services Committee we arrived at

a salary package that had the top of the basic scale at $35,550. That represents a compromise on our part.” ■'

That amount was lowered even further to $35,000 in negotiations with the Minister of Education, Mr Marshall, and an Associate Minister of Finance, Mr Caygill.

Teachers realised their actions would mean a loss of public support, but they were willing to bear that, he said.

"In the past it is true that teachers have not taken direct action. This is the first time that this has ever happened in the secondary service on such a scale, because they (teachers) have had that concern for the kids.”

Teachers stopped work for one day in 1978.

“I think that this time they realise that unless they take action, the interests of the kids will be damaged. Teachers have decided that it is better to take action now than to allow a steady deterioration,” said Mr Allen.