April 12, 2022
Back pay sought for kaiārahi i te reo
NZEI Te Riu Roa is heading into mediation with the Ministry of Education tomorrow for its pay equity claim for kaiārahi i te reo and school administrators.
Chief executive Stephanie Mills says the union and the ministry agreed in principle last December to pay equity settlements that included substantial average pay increases.
But the ministry has not agreed to any back pay or compensation for decades of undervaluation of support staff, including those who use their in-depth knowledge of te reo and tikanga Māori to support school communities.
“Historically they have been largely women, and they have been undervalued and so while the ministry agrees they have been undervalued and haven’t been paid enough, they are not at this point keen to talk about recognising the past undervaluation. That’s where we’re hoping going to mediation will get us a fair outcome,”
Ms Mills says.
She says a lot of women’s work is invisible, including supporting the work of others and the emotional work of supporting children.