Post-primary teachers likely to strike today

Press, 25 February 1986, Page 3

Post-primary teachers likely to strike today

By

ASHLEY CAMPBELL,

education reporter

Teachers throughout New Zealand are expected to strike today in support of their pay claim.

A settlement to their pay dispute does not seem any closer than it did last week.

On Sunday evening the president of the PostPrimary Teachers’ Association, Mr Peter Allen, said the association would consider going to the State Services Tribunal. But an early hearing date had to be set without pushing aside other unions waiting to

have their claims heard, he said. The Minister of Education, Mr Marshall, said the April date suggested by the Government would meet this condition. But Mr Allen said last evening this date would not be satisfactory. It allowed only half a day for the case to be heard.

“It would simply mean that things would be adjourned until May.” Then a settlement would not be reached until June, and a pay-out would not be made until July. A telegram sent yesterday by the Minister of Labour, Mr Rodger, to the association does not seem

to have had any effect. Mr Rodger said in the telegram a joint approach should be made to the tribunal by his officials and P.P.T.A. representatives.

His suggestion was made with the full authority of the Cabinet, the telegram said. But Mr Allen disputed this. He said he received the telegram between 9 a.m. and 9.30 a.m. yesterday, before the Cabinet had met.

At his post-Cabinet press conference yesterday the Prime Minister, Mr Lange, said the Cabinet did not discuss the dispute, because it had

been proved that teachers did not have a retention problem.

Mr Allen said this indicated that the Cabinet had been making decisions based on “misleading information.”

“We are prepared, if the Prime Minister wishes, to meet him and give him what we believe is a more accurate picture of the situation in schools,” Mr Allen said. Mr Allen said that if the dispute continued, eventually teachers would decide the industrial action was doing more harm than good, but that time had not yet arrived. At their meetings today

teachers will vote on action to continue the dispute. Rolling stoppages are one option they will consider. Mr Allen said they would probably discuss going to the tribunal, but he thought it was unlikely they would opt for this.

“I believe that they will decide to take further action, but I am hopeful that somehow or other we can find a resolution to it before it goes much further.”

The Leader of the Opposition, Mr McLay, last evening called on the Government to arrange an immediate hearing of the dispute.