Government’s State Sector Pay Talk “A Bit Rich”

Media Release April 8th, 2009
From NZEI Te Riu Roa
For immediate use

GOVERNMENT’S STATE SECTOR PAY TALK “A BIT RICH”

The education sector union NZEI Te Riu Roa says comments by the Finance Minister about state sector wage bargaining are “a bit rich” given the government won’t even come to the bargaining table.

Kindergarten teachers and school support staff have been waiting for weeks on the government to get negotiations of their collective agreements underway. The agreements expired on March 1 and are among the first major public sector pay claims due to be bargained under the new National government.

The Finance Minister Bill English has sent a clear message that the state sector should not expect salaries to continue to rise in the current economic climate.

NZEI National Secretary Paul Goulter says “we can’t even begin to address what that means in this sector until we get around the table, however Mr English’s comments appear to raise serious questions about the government’s commitment to low paid workers, and to parity in the education sector.”

Many school support staff earn just above the minimum wage despite fulfilling frontline roles in schools.

Paul Goulter says “these negotiations represent a beacon of hope for support staff by giving them an opportunity to address their long-standing issues of low pay and lack of job security. The ongoing bargaining delays and Mr English’s statements will make them feel like they’ve unfairly had the rug pulled out from under them.”

Kindergarten teachers are looking to their negotiations to deliver a pay increase to maintain the parity with teachers in other parts of the sector for which they fought so hard. The delays in getting their collective agreement negotiations underway are unsettling, says Mr Goulter.

ENDS

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