126 primary schools to close in Hawke's Bay following strike action

Amanda McLean NZEI work site rep and Maurice Rehu, Hawke's Bay Primary Principals Association president and Irongate School principal. Photo/Warren Buckland.

The school bell will not ring tomorrow at 126 primary providers in Hawke's Bay, as their principals and teachers join their counterparts around the country in walking off the job.

It is the first time teachers have taken industrial action since 1994 and many believe it is time.

"The only thing we can do to underline how serious the issues are is to down tools," Hastings Intermediate principal Perry Rush said. "It is always difficult in professions like teaching and nursing because people go into these jobs because they care about others."

Hawke's Bay Primary Principals Association president and Irongate School principal Maurice Rehu, agreed, saying while it was a tough call to make, this strike will bring to the attention of the public, the realities that the education sector is experiencing.

"Teachers don't want to strike because they know the effect it has on whānau but we are now in a situation that needs urgent attention."

"Teaching is a proud profession and one that has had mana in the past. Teachers are community-minded people who take sports teams, culture groups, spend their own money on their classes, work 70-hour weeks for the kids; as well as focus on quality learning outcomes. This is not sustainable and teachers are experiencing burnout and are leaving the profession."

Teachers list of demands includes: reduced workloads and stress, and to ensure schools are equipped with adequate resources, such as a special needs co-ordinator, in every school.

"We need more teachers in the sector and that the strike encourages the government to prioritise some of their spending on addressing the needs for the sector," Rehu said.

Ministry of Education Deputy Secretary Early Learning and Student Achievement, Ellen MacGregor-Reid, said they are disappointed that primary principals and teachers have chosen to strike.

"Teachers and principals do a really important job and reaching an agreement is a priority for us. We have agreed to resume mediation after the strike.

"We are listening to their concerns which is why our offer, alongside a number of announcements that have already been made by the Government, aims to address those concerns."

Te Mata School will also be closed tomorrow, due to all teaching staff being part of the Union. Principal Michael Bain said while a very small number of parents had expressed disappointment, on the complete converse, many parents have passed comment on their support for both nurses and teachers.

He said it was the "perfect storm" with other professions looking at taking strike action.

"There is this endless wave of collective agreements that are all coming to an end and all of us have been held in abeyance for quite a long time. Part of that is the fiscal constraint, but for us as teachers the critical concern is about the recruitment and retention of staff and currently the pay scales and work conditions just don't promote people entering the profession or remaining within it."

As of July 2017, there were 130 primary schools and 16 composite in the region. Of that, there are 65 primary principals and 986 primary teachers that are NZEI members in Napier and Hastings.

TEACHERS STRIKE - WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
• In June NZEI rejected the Ministry's offer to increase pay, in the majority of cases, by between 2.2 and 2.6 per cent for three years.
• Teachers and principals want a 16 per cent pay rise over the two years.
• Members also want to fix the teacher shortage crisis, more time to teach and lead, and to fix issues related to career development.
• It is the first primary school teachers' strike since 1994.
• The Secretary of Education decides on any pay deductions.
• There will be lots of events, marching and picketing on strike day.

INFO FOR PARENTS
• It is the school board's decision whether or not to close a school - contact your children's school to find out what's happening.
• If a board decides the school will remain open it is up to them to decide who supervises the children.