Teachers could strike

Ruapehu Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 276, 28 February 1989, Page 1

Teachers could strike

Waimarino and Waiouru Primary School teachers could take part in a national strike on March 7 if progress has not been made on the N.Z.E.I.'s award claim.

If the National Executive of the N.Z.E.I. considers it necessary, a further day of national strike action will occur on March 21.

Last week at a Ruapehu Branch meeting held at Raetihi School the majority of N.Z.E.I. members present voted to support strike action on March 7 and 21.

Members stressed that their reason for striking is not over salary demands but to protect existing conditions of service which, according to N.Z.E.I., the State Services Commission wants to take away. "The State Services Commission proposals Turn page 2

Teachers could strike

From page 1 undermine the high quality of NZ Primary Education," said Jill Read, Vice-President of the Ruapehu Branch of the N.Z.E.I. "They are attacking the co-opera-tive way our teachers work now which is in the best interests of the children." "Extensive N.Z.E.I. research has shown that collaborative school management produces the best results for students, not the divisive contracts system proposed by the State Ser-

vices Commission," she said. Ms Read cited some further examples of existing conditions which N.Z.E.I. says will no longer apply should the SSC get its way: Maternity leave provisions will disappear. As the majority of Primary teachers are women they will be greatly disadvantaged. Removal of everyone except basic scale teachers from the award. Thus, the N.Z.E.I. will lose thousands of members and those members

will have no organisation to protect their rights. Equal employment opportunities could not be enforced under the award. The deletion of the compassionate grant. The deletion of the reference to the Wages Protection Act. No longer can the award be used to enforce provisions. These are just some of the implications, said Miss Read.