Waimea Weekly Locally Owned and Operated
Wednesday 26 June 2019
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School comes together
Runners battle the cold Page 21
Welcomes new owners Page 14 -16
Teacher pay deal a good first step Matt McCrorie Reporter
matt@waimeaweekly.co.nz
Local teachers are mostly satisfied with the government’s revised offer for teachers, but there is still a long way to go, says local teacher Stacey Ashley. The largest-ever teacher strike saw both primary and secondary school teachers withdraw their services on June 4. Over 50,000 members across two unions decided to strike, after rejecting previous offers made by the Government. The aim of the strike was for the government to spend more money on improving teaching conditions, more staff and more release time. The new offer made by the government includes a pay increase for all teachers, as well as pay parity between primary teachers and secondary teachers. The offer includes a lump sum of $1500 for union members and a new top salary rate of $90,000. If accepted, primary school teachers will see their base salary increase, with a range of $52,429-
$82,992, depending on experience and qualifications. This is a big increase, as the base rate range currently sits from $47,980 to $71,891. Teachers with further responsibilities, like specialised roles or management, receive extra payment above the base salary. A new teacher’s salary would rise from $51,200 to $55,948 by 2021. While the pay increase is a big positive, teachers are still concerned about workload and release time. “A lot of what we wanted was to reduce the workload. While it hasn’t come through yet, the increase in the pay will hopefully bring more teachers in to the profession and get them to stay,” says NZEI Primary Lead Teacher for Nelson, Stacey Ashley. Stacey says that teachers hope that will go a long way towards easing workload and giving them more release time. “Teachers are struggling, working all the time. I’ve seen teachers hospitalised because of stress.” Teachers say that while the
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Wolfgang Hollmer, from Germany, is travelling around the world by bike. Photo: Matt McCrorie.
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