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The 1100-strong field staff workforce, including psychologists, speech therapists, special education advisers, is under huge pressure according to the union. (File photo)
Almost two weeks after starting a month-long ban on taking new cases, Ministry of Education field staff have settled with the ministry.
Field staff – which includes psychologists, speech therapists and special education advisers – voted in favour of strike action last month, following months of failed negotiations.
This included a month-long ban on all work outside the hours of 8.30am to 4.40pm from last Monday until August 25 as well as agreeing not to take on new cases.
A new offer put to the members represented by NZEI Te Riu Roa was accepted on Wednesday, with the strike action withdrawn.
Tauranga-based speech therapist and negotiations leader Conor Fraser said it was a relief to reach an agreement, crediting it to the members taking strike action.
There was still more work to be done with working groups being established to address “outstanding issues”, she said.
“Through our strike action we’ve made some gains around pay and salary progressions, but we still need to see changes around workload as well as a review of te reo Māori and tikanga provisions.”
One of the key issues raised previously included high workloads, with Fraser saying the 1100-strong workforce was struggling to keep up with demand and the “constant pressure”.
“The work we do with tamariki with diverse needs is highly specialised and the call for our services keeps growing. Our workloads remain high and we need more experienced staff in our sector to make it sustainable. This can be addressed by investing in quality public learning support services.”
The ministry has been approached for comment.
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