Teachers’ salaries

Press, 26 February 1986, Page 16

Teachers’ salaries

. Sir, —During the depression 19305, when I conferred with former classmates, I found that we teachers were at least halfway up the list of wage-earners. The first Labour Government certainly introduced milk, apples and glossy publications to schools, and Peter Fraser was an excellent Minister of Education, but Labour has never sought to improve the status and salary position of teachers. By the 1950 s union pressure made teachers comparatively poor wage earners, overtaken by youngsters not long out of school. Of recent years teachers have never been comparatively so well off. Much more than strike action and higher salaries is required to restore teaching to a desirable profession. Obedience, respect, quiet concentration, best behaviour and effort require the cooperation of teachers, pupils, parents and the Government. Television, now a corrupting in-

fluence, could be used to promote the very best in endeavour, behaviour, language and human relations. — Yours, etc., < TED MULCOCK.

February 24, 1986.

Sir, —When D. Champion (“The Press,” February 20) compares the pay of teachers in England with those in New Zealand in terms of exchange dollars, he/she is misusing the "facts.” I can well believe that in exchange dollars the English teachers are paid more than their New Zealand counterparts, but this does not take into account the real value of the pound compared with the New Zealand dollar. I have a friend who was last year working ip England as an editor, earning in exchange terms about (N.Z.) $20,000. She would have been thrilled to be earning that figure. here, but informed me that in England she was actually quite poor because her salary only went as far there as $lO,OOO would here. Even if slightly exaggerated, this claim leads me to believe that teachers in England are indeed financially worse off than they would be here. — Yours, etc., (Mrs) M. A. BRICE. February 22, 1986. Wage claims

Sir,—ln response to the teachers, the Government says that it will not be moved by striking workers. Confronted by hotel workers at the Beehive, the Prime Minister was reported to speak only of increasing security. Apparently, the best way to avoid meeting workers is either to padlock the people’s Parliament against them or to tell them to “piss off.” The Opposition opportunistically seeks to befriend teachers by pointing out the antiworking class nature of Government policy. But the wave of strikes is not a set of isolated disputes in response to "high settlement expectations,” as Miss Richardson maintains. Labour and National can, and will do nothing more than administer the crisis on behalf of the bosses. It is time to sweep these opportunists out of the way. Only a workers’ united front against the capitalist austerity of the Government and the bosses can achieve a decent living for all workers. — Yours, etc., JOHN FREEMAN-MOIR. February 23, 1986.