NZEI & PPTA Negotiate Pay Deals For Area Schools

NZEI TE RIU ROA AND PPTA NEGOTIATE PAY DEALS FOR AREA SCHOOLS

Teachers and principals working in area schools have voted overwhelmingly to accept new collective employment agreements with significant improvements in their pay and conditions.

Over 98 per cent of teachers and 100 per cent of principals who voted by postal ballot ratified the agreements, negotiated by NZEI Te Riu Roa and the PPTA.

There are 89 area or composite schools, which have primary and secondary students aged from five to 17.

Key aspects of the new area schools teachers agreement are:
- To address their workload, each area school teacher will be allocated a maximum time they are required to spend teaching students in the classroom.
- An 8.74 per cent across the board pay rise over the three year term of the new agreement and a $500 payment for teachers covered by the collective when it was settled.
- The value of a management unit, an annual payment for extra responsibilities, will increase from $3000 to $3500 by July 2006.
- An extra 218 units allocated to area schools.
- The introduction of about 420 Middle Management Allowances. These will go to teachers with specific curriculum, student care or management responsibilities.
- The tutor teacher allowance will increase from $500 to $2000 at the start of 2006.
- Schools will receive a staffing allowance to support their second year teachers advice and guidance programme.
- A commitment from the government to consider area school teachers’ issues within the working parties set up by the primary and secondary agreements, and a specific working party on the future of area schools, including curriculum delivery, staffing and resourcing.
- An assurance from the Minister to introduce the remaining staffing review group steps.

The new agreement will help ease the workload of area school teachers by putting a cap on the number of hours they are required to spend in the classroom teaching.

This will help ensure they have time during the school day to do the lesson planning, student assessment and administrative work that until now they have had to do at the end of the school day or on the weekend.

This is a very satisfying agreement both because of the improvements to working conditions that will assist with recruitment and retention, and the speed with which it has been negotiated.

Key aspects of the new area school principals agreement are:
- An 8.74% across the board pay rise over the three year term of the new agreement
- A 21% increase in the supplementary formula over the three years of the agreement. This is the payment each principal receives based on the number of teachers in their school.
- An annual payment of $2000 for principals who have had three years service at their current “U” grade. The “U” grade is based on the number of students at their school.
- 3 one term paid sabbatical leave positions.
- A new medical retirement provision.

ENDS

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