Teacher trainees will hold referendum

Press, 11 July 1986, Page 5

Teacher trainees will hold referendum

Christchurch Teachers’ College trainees will hold a referendum today to gauge support for a ban on their involvement in the college’s recruitment programme.

The proposed ban is related to the Government’s failure to pay the trainees a salary and recognise them as State service employees. According to the Christchurch Teachers’ College Trainee Association’s secondary vice-president and secretary, Mr Steve May, the trainees support withdrawing from the recruitment programme. The purpose of the referendum was to endorse officially this view.

It will be held at lunchtime today.

If it is successful the trainees will not take part in any of the college’s

recruitment programme later in the year.

This will also include withdrawing support from a video tape being made to promote commercial teaching. Mr May said the trainee teachers involved could be replaced by actors.

He said primarily trainees would not take part in recruitment seminars held at high schools.

In a report to the Christchurch Teachers’ College Council earlier this week, Mr May said trainee teachers were the only specifically trained State employees who were not paid a training salary.

AU other State employees who were training in areas such as the police or the Navy were paid more than $12,000 a

“We have consistently argued that this status and salary are still applicable to teacher trainees because along with these other State employees under training we are still bound by conditions of service to the State,” Mr May said.

The State had a statutory obligation to supply teachers and trainee teachers were professionally assessed and could have their courses terminated because, for example, they were unsuitable as a prospective State employee. Mr May also said that trainees were under obligations in terms of conduct and dress and were regarded as State employees for superannuation.