PPTA And Ministry Of Education Reach Agreement

16 May 2002

An agreement between the Post Primary Teachers’ Association and the government was reached today on the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement.

The agreement is subject to ratification by PPTA members.

The Ministry of Education and PPTA negotiators settled today on an agreement that includes a 5.5 percent pay rise over three years plus an allowance for teachers implementing the National Certificate of Educational Achievement.

The package also includes the establishment of an independently chaired Ministerial Taskforce on Secondary Teachers’ Remuneration.

Key items agreed to in December last year, including the guaranteed non-contact time and allowances for hard to staff areas, have been retained.

PPTA president Jen McCutcheon said she was pleased that an agreement had finally been reached.

“I am particularly pleased that the settlement includes the setting up of a ministerial taskforce to look into secondary teacher remuneration issues. This is a significant step forward in addressing the issues of recruitment and retention within the secondary sector.”

Rob McIntosh, acting Secretary for Education, was delighted an agreement had been reached. “We can now get on with working to ensure students are getting the best educational opportunities,” he said.

“We are committed to working with the PPTA to improve recruitment and retention issues and quality education.”

Jen McCutcheon said the proposed agreement for ratification would be taken to members at the earliest opportunity.

Both the PPTA and Ministry of Education thanked mediators Paul Hutcheson and Peter Franks for their assistance during negotiations.

Ends

Key elements of the settlement of the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement reached on 16 May 2002 between the Ministry of Education and the Post Primary Teachers’ Association were:

- The establishment of an independently chaired Ministerial Taskforce on Secondary Teachers’ Remuneration to examine and report on secondary teacher supply, demand, qualifications, curriculum delivery, workload and other directly related issues. The taskforce is to report by 31 July 2003.

- A 2% increase on salary and unit rates backdated to July 2001, a 1.5% increase from July 2002 and a further 2% increase from July 2003.

- An additional allowance, payable to teachers who meet the agreed criteria, for the implementation of levels 1, 2 and 3 of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) of $1,000 per annum from July 2002 increasing to $1,500 for the duration of the 2004 school year and then ceases.

- An entitlement of 3 non-contact hours per week from 2002, increasing to 4 non-contact hours per week from 2004. Schools will endeavour to provide 5 non-contact hours per week from 2005.

- A statement of intent from the Minister of Education to full implementation by the start of the 2006 school year of the staffing improvements based on the recommendations of the Staffing Review Group.

- An additional guaranteed two-and-a-half hours per week release time for second year beginning teachers.

- A High Priority Teacher Supply Allowance of $2,500 per annum, payable to approximately 460 secondary teachers in schools in areas identified as experiencing the greatest staffing difficulties.

- The Agreement will expire on 30 April 2004.

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