Kindergarten Teachers Head Into Pay Talks

6th May 2009

For use 7th May 2009

Kindergarten Teachers Head Into Pay Talks

Kindergarten teachers head into pay talks today (Thursday 7 May) which their union NZEI Te Riu Roa says will test the government's commitment to quality early childhood education.

The collective agreement for kindergarten teachers expired on February 28th and after weeks of government delays, negotiations on a fresh pay claim between NZEI and the Ministry of Education will finally begin today. More dates are scheduled over the next two weeks.

Kindergarten teachers are looking to the negotiations to maintain parity with teachers in other parts of the sector.

NZEI National Secretary Paul Goulter says "if we are to value the importance of quality teaching in early childhood, then kindergarten teachers must retain pay parity with other teachers."

NZEI negotiating team leader Marion Dekker says the focus for kindergarten teachers is to continue to have their professional status recognised alongside teachers in primary and secondary schools.

"Kindergarten teachers fought hard to establish that parity and it is resoundingly the most important issue for them. Any move to undermine that would be a mistake," she says.

ENDS

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