Over 30,000 school support staff, kaiārahi, and therapists are set to receive a significant pay increase if they accept an offer made by the Government.

The Secretary for Education, Iona Holsted, is pleased to offer the 2019 living wage to over 17,000 employees who are earning less than this.

For those people on the minimum wage, this is a substantial 19.5% increase.

"Those staff who are earning $21.15 an hour currently, will also benefit from a 3% increase to their pay" says Ms Holsted.

"A further 3% increase will follow 12 months later for all school support staff under this agreement.

"If the offer is accepted by NZEI Te Riu Roa members, the pay increase will take effect from 29 November, with payment of the new rates in peoples’ pockets from March 2020.

"Included in the settlement is a teacher aide learning and development fund of $790,000 over the term of the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement (July 2020 - February 2022).

"The Ministry, NZEI Te Riu Roa and the New Zealand Board of Trustees Association (NZSTA) have been working hard to come to an agreement. We are committed to addressing low pay, and this is a step towards ensuring that all New Zealanders receive fairer pay and employment conditions that allow for a decent standard of living.

"Additional funds will be provided to school boards of trustees to enable this sizable increase. We will work closely with NZSTA to provide information and support to boards to make sure they understand the details in the new agreement.

"We are also working to resolve other issues raised by support staff and kaiārahi. This includes the pay equity claim for teacher aides, which is close to the settlement phase.

"We recently signed the Education Accord with NZEI Te Riu Roa and PPTA which includes a focus on the support staff workforce, and the wider Education Workforce Strategy work continues, with a vision to have a strong, culturally competent education workforce by 2032."

ENDS

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