Teacher's appeals adjourned

Waimarino Bulletin, Volume 6, Issue 267, 13 December 1988, Page 1

Teacher's appeals adjourned

Only four appeals against the increases in teachers' house rentals were heard by the Tenancy Tribunal in Wanganui last Thursday, with the vast majority being adjourned until next year.

Two of the appeals heard were from Ruapehu College teachers. The cases heard were adjourned to a date yet to be set. Tribunal adjudicator Winifred Rockell said at the hearing that if the appeals continue they will\become very involved ar^d costly.

She said the dispute was whether teachers had a right to lower rentals because of extra duties for teachers living in Education Department Houses rather than whether the teachers were subject to service tenancies. Teachers are claiming that the rent rises,

some up to 700 per cent, put the rents out of line with other service tenancies. Richard Northmore, speaking at the hearings for the Department of Education personnel division, said teachers were not paying service rentals. He said the rentals had been fixed in the past as a percentage of capital value and that the fact they were low was coincidental. Mr Northmore said the question of extra

duties was an industrial matter and not one for the Tenancy Tribunal. Later he said comparisons with service rents were not valid. Also in question before the tribunal was the method of valuing the school houses. The department had asked for roadside valuations for setting the rentals, the tribunal heard. A representative from the Housing Corporation said in roadside Turnpage2

Appeals adjourned

From page 1 valuations the valuer did not enter the property and agreed that physical defects and interior standards would not be revealed by this method.