Teachers strike: Secondary school and area school teachers walk off job

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins has expressed his “disappointment” about today’s secondary and area school teachers’ strike as picket lines start popping up outside schools around the country.

Secondary and area school teachers are striking again today, the second time in as many weeks, with one union saying “the future of secondary education is at stake”.

The Post Primary Teachers Association (PPTA) announced the latest action just eight days after a strike involving tens of thousands of teachers nationwide.

Speaking to Jono and Ben on The Hits this morning, Hipkins said he also wanted better pay and conditions for teachers.

“I would say to teachers, I’m disappointed they’re back on strike so soon when I would rather they were around the negotiating table trying to make some progress on these issues because, you know, I think yes, we do owe it to the kids, we do owe it to the parents to actually get this resolved,” he said.

Teachers on the picket line outside Westlake Girls High School in Auckland. Photo / Cheree Kinnear

Hipkins said the Ministry of Education was in the process of getting a new offer ready to put out to teachers.

PPTA acting president Chris Abercrombie said pay and work conditions needed to improve to keep teachers in the classroom, attract new graduates, and encourage ex-teachers to return.

“The results of the ballot show clearly that members believe the time for words from the Government has passed,” Abercombie said.

Secondary schools around the country will be closed, with individual schools opening only to supervise students who can’t stay home, Abercrombie said.

The Ministry of Education said it was “seeking facilitated bargaining as a matter of urgency”.

Camberley Kindergarten head teacher Jess Duff (left) and daughter Alexis were part of strike action in Hastings last Thursday. Photo / Warren Buckland

Union members voted to strike again last week, on top of other measures to pressure the Ministry of Education to reconsider collective agreement offers.

The PPTA said members will not go to work meetings outside school hours from April 24, will keep different year levels home some days for four weeks from May 1, and will hold rolling strikes from May 8.

Members will continue to refuse to relieve classes for absent teachers or vacant positions during their scheduled planning and marking times.

Abercrombie said tomorrow’s strike would be “more low-key” than the last with roadside picketing planned outside several Auckland schools from 7.30am.

“This is essentially about teachers withdrawing their labour because of a lack of progress in the negotiations. PPTA has been in talks for almost a year with the Ministry of Education.”

He said parents should find out if their school is open for supervising students, otherwise, they should find alternative childcare.

PPTA acting president Chris Abercrombie said today's strike would be “more low-key” than the last with roadside picketing planned including this group on Great North Rd, Western Springs. Photo / Michael Craig

“Parents need to know that we are fighting for the quality of their children’s secondary education.

“I don’t know a parent who would be happy for their child to be taught history by a physics teacher or maths by an English teacher. Unless we can stop the flow of teachers leaving ... this will become an increasingly common scenario,” Abercrombie said.

“It’s not good enough and we would encourage parents to continue to stand with us as we urge the government to invest in teachers and invest in Aotearoa.”

‘Burned-out’ teacher trying to make a difference

A “burned-out” Tauranga secondary teacher who has been in the profession for six years said she is “trying to make a difference” but needs better pay and more resources to do her job properly.

Jessie Fauntleroy, originally from Australia, is one of about 800 secondary and area school teachers in the Western Bay of Plenty set to strike this week.

Fauntleroy has been a secondary school teacher in Tauranga for just over one year. She previously taught at schools in Australia and England.

Tauranga secondary school teacher Jessie Fauntleroy. Photo / Supplied

As a sixth-year teacher and Year 9 dean, Fauntleroy said the pay was “just not sustainable”. In her role, she earned about $10,000 less than a first-year teacher in Australia, she said.

“A first-year teacher in Australia gets paid AU$75,000 ... I am still below $70,000 [NZD].”

Under the current exchange rate, AU$75,000 is $80,500.

“The pay discrepancy is so bad.”

Fauntleroy said she was also earning $30,000 less than when she was working as a fourth-year teacher and dean in England.

She was also striking because there needed to be “more resourcing” to help staff deal with students’ “complex” needs, she said.

“The problems these children have with mental health, and family issues - they bring so much more to school, and there is a lot more pressure on us to manage all of these things as well.

Secondary and area school teachers are striking again tomorrow, the second time in as many weeks, with one union saying “the future of secondary education is at stake”. Photo / Michael Craig

“We are feeling super burned-out and a little bit powerless. We are trying to make a difference, but there just aren’t enough resources there.”

While disruption caused by the strike was “so hard” for families, she said the school community had been very supportive so far.

“They know we are doing it for the right reasons.”

‘It’s in the Government’s hands’ - union boss

Primary school and kindergarten teachers in the New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) joined their PPTA colleagues in the country’s largest strike on March 16. The NZEI has not joined tomorrow’s action.

Abercrombie said teachers would prefer not to strike and the PPTA and Ministry of Education had been in mediation last week.

“If we think there is a genuine pathway to an agreement that members would vote for, then we would consider calling off next week’s strike – it is in the Government’s hands,” Abercrombie said.

Secondary and area school teachers are striking again tomorrow, the second time in as many weeks, with one union saying “the future of secondary education is at stake”. Photo / Michael Craig

“Teachers would much prefer to be teaching in a settled environment this year, rather than taking extensive industrial action.”

“However, we cannot stand by when the future of secondary education is at stake.”

“We need a commitment from the Government to collective agreements that will ensure students have specialist teachers for every subject,” he said.

Ministry of Education general manager of employment relations Mark Williamson said: “We are seeking facilitated bargaining as a matter of urgency, in the interests of concluding negotiations and returning to uninterrupted learning in the classroom.”

Williamson said as well as an offer on improving conditions, secondary teachers were offered salary increases of $4000 from the start of the collective agreement and $2000 in the second year.

That offer was rejected and the ministry had since been “actively engaged” in detailed negotiations, he said.

“We progressed to mediated bargaining in an effort to reach an agreement, but this has not resulted in a settlement,” Williamson said.