June 13, 2019
Equity aim for teaching support staff
Teacher aides and other school support staff started two weeks of nationwide paid union meetings yesterday to discuss their upcoming collective agreement negotiations.
NZEI Te Riu Roa President Lynda Stuart says pay equity settlements are high on the agenda as well, as members are determined to finally see a genuine improvement to pay, conditions and job security.
She says quality teaching and learning can't happen without support staff and they are long overdue improved pay and conditions that recognise their skills and their value to students.
NZEI Te Riu Roa have been working with the Ministry of Education on a pay equity process where the work of teacher aides is assessed and compared with male-dominated roles, and the union is pushing for the negotiating phase to begin as soon as possible.
The agreements cover not just teacher aides, office and administration staff, librarians and technicians, but also kaiārahi i te reo who work alongside Māori language teachers, therapists, assistants to teachers of students with severe disabilities, and special education assistants.
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