PPTA members will vote next week on new offers for settlement of the secondary teachers’ and area school teachers’ collective agreements that were received yesterday.

“PPTA Te Wehengarua national executive met last night to consider the offers and we don’t believe they are sufficient to address the serious shortage of secondary teachers that we are facing,” says Chris Abercrombie, PPTA Te Wehengarua acting president.

“Every secondary student deserves to have a specialist teacher in every subject. Too many are being short changed right now and the situation will only get worse if we don’t have pay and conditions that keep people in the profession,

attract great people in and encourage those who have left teaching to come back.

“PPTA national executive is recommending that members reject the latest offer and we are asking members to vote on further industrial action from Week 8 of this term (week beginning 12 June).”

Chris Abercrombie said secondary teachers have resumed their industrial action today. This includes refusing to give up their entitled planning and marking time to relieve for absent teachers, refusing to attend meetings outside school hours and refusing to teach certain year levels on certain days. PPTA Te Wehengarua members will not teach Year 12 students tomorrow (Thursday).

“We paused the action as a gesture of good faith and genuine willingness to try and find a way through this impasse. We do not believe the offers presented yesterday warrant a continuation of that pause.”

“Teachers pulled out all stops over the last three years to make sure students kept up with learning and achieved the qualifications they need during a hugely disruptive and challenging pandemic.

“The Government told us often during this time how much it valued the work. Yet now it seems happy to allow the value of our incomes to fall way behind and allow the secondary teacher shortage to get worse. Secondary teachers and students deserve better.”

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