Teachers angry at govt bill

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 233, 1 March 1988, Page 1

Teachers angry at govt bill

Ruapehu College teachers plan industrial action sometime this week. Chairman of the Ruapehu College branch of the Post Primary Teachers' Association Glyn Hubbard said last week most teachers at the college would support the action that has been called by the national executive of the PPTA. The teachers are angry at the proposed State Sector Bill and the way the government is trying to introduce it, f "The proposals embodied in the bill are so sweeping and the reforms so damaging that the bill ought to be withdrawn and the ideas behind it should be put before a royal commission for detailed public scrutiny," said Mr Hubbard, reading from a prepared statement.

"Parents must understand that we are not taking this action for the sake of money," said Mr Hubbard, "this bill will have a drastic effect on small communities such as ours, through its attack on conditions of service." He said the harm industrial action would do to pupils now is nothing compared to the long term harm from the bill. "I've never known a staff to be so angry. About three quarters of the staff are members of PPTA but more have said they will support our action," said Mr Hubbard. The effects on smaller communities will be the most damaging, he said. "Smaller communities will have less money than city schools, because businesses will be asked to support1

schools. It will be difficult to attract qualified staff to small schools because they may not be paid enough. "Presently, wherever you teach, if you are a certain grade you get paid the same. This will no longer apply, "Educational institutions will b e supported by businesses who are not qualified in educational philosophy, you can't run a school on business principles," said Mr Hubbard. "This bill was introduced to parliament on the 10th of December last year, the day that colleges went on holiday, that's the type of tactic the government is using to get this bill through," said Mr Hubbard. "At the moment Ruapehu College has a high morale, this bill will destroy that," he said.