They have broken the government wage freeze for low income workers. I was briefed in confidence a week ago and have had to sit on the good news. The Standard has covered it well today.
It just shows what a good campaign can do. Congratulations to the NZEI and especially to the thousands of support staff involved in tipping over the governments refusal to agree to any increase.
Remember the vast majority of these staff earn far less than Bill English got every year for a house in Wellington when he pretended he lived in Dipton for a decade.
Now it is important for Bill English to back Anne Tolley’s agreement with the cash.
Seems fair enough. They don’t really get a hell of a lot though do they.
Right with you on this Trevor. I’m delighted for those workers and all power to them – now it’s the turn of the hospital service workers, the disability support workers, the cleaners in government departments ……
I am ready to publicly support this group of workers again in our rural town for as long as it takes, as a bunch of us did several weeks back. 0% won’t pay the rent!
That is fantasitc.
thank goodness we have a responsible Govt prepared to revisit their rulings. Has the raise, and any upcoming ones, been costed?
I hear we only have to borrow $240mil a week instead of $250mil due to revised figures so lets hope we can afford it.
That’s terrible news. My school board has just approved the budget for the year. Now we’ll have to rejig and take more out of learning resources to cover the payrises.
They do already get annual payrises, you know, with their grade system.
Bea we’ve had this argument before in another thread about the so-called annual payrises. Had the 0% offer the Govt put on the table been the end of this fight then actually a lot of people would have been staying on the grand sum of $13.80 an hour for the forseeable future, having reached the top step (step 4, i.e. after only 4 years in the job) of the Associate Scale Grade A. This would apply to many teacher aides, for example.
Negotiations for this agreement began with the workers putting their claim up in late 2008 iirc. Anne Tolley wouldn’t even agree to bargaining dates until late April 2009. So I don’t think you can fairly blame the workers for delays that have affected your school’s budget process.
The negotiated pay rises don’t kick in until the start of 2010′s school year. There was a funding increase of 1.9% to the Ops Grant announced earlier this year (I think it was in the Budget?). Those working in the sector (support staff, principals, teachers, and their unions) have been lobbying alongside parents and boards for years to increase that Ops Grant, and to even recalculate how it works so that support staff funding is more directed and schools aren’t left to find the money for negotiated pay increases without support. I hope you have also campaigned for that money too.
This Govt chose to only increase the funding by 1.9%. The pay increases are going to cost less than this. Yes a bigger increase in the Ops Grant would be fantastic. National doesn’t appear to be offering one. I suggest you take that up with them, rather than bag some of the lowest paid workers in the country who have fought long and hard for a fairer deal.
Bea,
You can hardly blame the people sitting at a negotiating table for coming to an agreement.
It’s your failure, not theirs.