Thanks But No Thanks Mr Mallard

The Post Primary Teachers’ Association has today rejected the Government’s latest pay offer.

PPTA president Jen McCutcheon said the Government’s latest offer was, once again, inadequate to meet the needs of secondary teachers. The offer contained two options, both of which were unacceptable.

“We have informed our members what the offer was but have told them we have rejected it,” Mrs McCutcheon said.

“The first option offered a 4 percent pay rise over two years. The second option retained the 3.5 percent already offered but included a small number of other incentives. Both options pushed the expiry of the collective agreement out to April 2004 and offered only another 2 percent pay rise over that extra year, yet again keeping pay rates low for secondary teachers. Under both options the non-contact hours already offered would have stayed the same.

“The Government has, once again, missed the boat and ignored the crisis in the secondary sector. We are extremely disappointed with this latest offer,” Mrs McCutcheon said.

“Neither of these offers meets the needs of our members or does anything to assist with recruitment and retention issues currently facing the secondary sector. Most of our members wouldn’t have been any better off under these two options,” Mrs McCutcheon said.

“The Government needs to have a long hard think about its priorities. Our members are extremely determined to wait for an offer that suits them and will not be fobbed off with little adjustments here and there to the pay offer. It’s going to take more than that,” Mrs McCutcheon said.

“The industrial action will continue in the meantime. We will continue negotiating with the Ministry of Education and expect to meet with their negotiators again next week.”

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