Media statement

15 September 2010

PPTA response to Ministry's 'accuracy' claims

Ministry calls for accuracy

New Zealanders are getting inaccurate, misleading messages about this year’s secondary teachers bargaining, the Ministry of Education said today.

PPTA comment: This press release increases the inaccuracies and misleading information being put in the public area.

“The Ministry has made a very good offer to the PPTA,” said Education Workforce Group Manager Fiona McTavish.

PPTA comment: 99.3% of secondary teachers don’t think it is a good offer.

“In addition to salary increases of 1.5% plus 1%, our offer provides for more sabbaticals, allowances, non-contact hours, and relief teacher days,” she said.

PPTA comment: Pays to look at the detail yes: 10 more sabbaticals for 16,000 secondary teachers, 1 hour a week for HODs to support second year teachers, non-contact time for part time teachers who are teaching 0.5 and greater only if they drop the existing 11% loading on pay which is not related to non-contact time and 100 teacher relief days for 16,000 teachers. Big offers eh?

“I encourage people to look at our actual offer. They’ll see that statements made by PPTA members about non-contact hours, class size, or the number of days teachers are required to be available during term breaks, are simply incorrect,” she said.

PPTA comment: The current non-contact for full-time teachers is not being discussed in bargaining so we don’t know what this refers to – other than for part timers. There is no offer to meet teachers’ claims on class-size, rather the Ministry came to the table claiming to remove the current controls- although they have backed away from that in this offer (but haven’t said it is off the table). The Ministry offer still includes claw-backs on the provisions around the call-back days.

Fiona McTavish said the Ministry’s offer had to be seen in the context of the current economic environment, other recent state sector settlements, and recent generous salary increases for teachers.

“Many of the PPTA’s 46 bargaining claims are already being addressed,” she said.

PPTA comment: This fixation on 46 claims is spurious as PPTA have twice prioritised claims in bargaining. A more accurate assessment is to say that the Ministry has made minor offers on very few of teachers’ claims and no major claims on important issues have been addressed sufficiently to be able to shape an acceptable settlement.

“The Government values secondary teachers. We have successful initiatives underway to address issues concerning health and safety, recruitment and retention, and teaching and learning conditions for teachers and students.”

PPTA comment: No ‘initiatives’, successful or not, address the particular health and safety claims that PPTA has made. The claims are to
i. limit class sizes to 24 where there are hazardous substances, processes or materials ie tech rooms and labs;
ii. that in areas where a school has identified additional risk in grounds duty there should always be two adults on duty and that proper communications and weather equipment should be provided for duty.
iii. PPTA have also claimed that the health and safety representative on the H&S committee should be provided with time and paid training.

Fiona McTavish said the PPTA was continuing to refuse to prioritise any of the 46 claims it had put on the table.

PPTA comment: PPTA has twice prioritised claims at the bargaining table. It appears the Ministry team has not understood this part of the bargaining process. The MOE’s original clawbacks have yet to be formally removed from the negotiation table.

“Bargaining is a two-way street. It’s not about one party just saying yes to everything,” she said. “The PPTA needs to prioritise its claims, be prepared to bargain constructively, call off its unnecessary and disruptive industrial action, and then come back to the table.”

PPTA comment: It is a one way street when the Minsitry repeatedly says NO to practically all of PPTA claims. PPTA has been constructive in its prioritising. But they refuse to engage on our priorities.

For the Ministry’s offer, and information sheets on teacher pay and conditions, go to http://www.minedu.govt.nz/teacherpayandconditions

Contact: Julia Craven 021 243 2366

Information for journalists

Class size
Teacher entitlement funding to secondary schools provides an average teacher student ratio of 1 teacher for every 17.2 students. The Ministry’s offer includes no proposed changes to the current requirement for secondary schools to endeavour to keep class sizes to no more than 26 students. Schools arrange their timetables and class sizes in consultation with teachers.

PPTA comment: The Ministry does not understand the current provisions – as there is no current provision to keep classes to no more that 26. The provision is for a teacher’s average class size to be no more than 26 – rather different as this means some classes could be over 30. The 17.2 figure refers to a technical funding mechanism for delivering a total amount of staffing to schools not a class size limit.

Non-contact time
Secondary teachers are required to be available for 25 hours timetabled teaching time a week. A minimum of five of these hours are non-contact time (beginning teachers and unit holders will get more non-contact time). The Ministry’s offer maintains this and offers additional non-contact time for part-time teachers.

PPTA comment: see earlier comment about part time non-contact.

Term breaks
Secondary teachers get 12 weeks’ term breaks a year. During these term breaks they may be required to be available for up to 10 days for administrative or professional development activities. The Ministry’s offer doesn’t seek to increase the total of 10 days.

PPTA comment: The Ministry’s offer removes some of the existing provisions around the use of these days which means that schools would not have to pay any expenses for things like child care for term break days nor have to take into account teachers own initiatives such as extramural study and subject association course and conferences.

Health and safety
Acc information shows that 100 secondary teachers made ACC claims in 2008/09. Most of these were for accidental injury such as insect bites and falls. Only three teachers needed time off work. The information sheet is available at http://www.minedu.govt.nz/NZEducation/EducationPolicies/Schools/ResearchAndStatistics/HealthAndSafetyInSchools/InjuriesToTeachers.aspx

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