Teachers' strike off after new Govt offer

Teachers have called off a strike planned for tomorrow. Photo / Getty Images

Teachers have called off a strike planned for tomorrow and will instead return to the negotiating table to discuss a new offer from the Ministry of Education.

PPTA president Kate Gainsford said the union had decided to suspend tomorrow's industrial action as a gesture of good faith after an assurance from the ministry that the new offer on the table was worthwhile.

Thousands of teachers went on strike last month after negotiations reached a stalemate.

Teachers want improved conditions and a 4 per cent pay rise while the ministry was offering 1.5 per cent this year and 1 per cent next year.

At the time of the strike each side implied that the other needed to make the first move.

The ministry said the PPTA needed to prioritise its claims, be prepared to bargain constructively, call off unnecessary and disruptive industrial action and return to the table.

Finance Minister Bill English then weighed in, saying teachers should not waste their time trying to persuade Education Minister Anne Tolley they needed a rise because she did not have any money to give.

The PPTA then ran a full-page letter to parents in weekend newspapers saying the negotiations were not just about money and that adjustments to conditions were equally important in their claim.

Ms Gainsford said in the letter she was concerned by the lack of "commitment, understanding and vision this Government has shown towards public education".

"It was quick to hand over $1.6 billion following the South Canterbury Finance collapse, but seems almost dismissive when it comes to doing the best for secondary students."

This week the stalemate appears to have been broken.

Ms Gainsford said the decision to resume negotiations came after assurances from Secretary for Education Karen Sewell that there was now an offer worth the teachers' while.

"The secretary emphasised that she understood members' resolve and would not ask PPTA to return to the table unless there was something new to discuss."

Mr Gainsford hoped the offer would be a "turning point after five long months of protracted bargaining".

If not, plans to roster home different year levels from next week would still go ahead.

The ministry welcomed the decision to postpone the strike, saying it meant the two parties could now get back to the bargaining table.

Mrs Tolley said the matter would be resolved only by "people sitting around the table talking".