Share your secondary teachers’ strike perspectives and solutions

WRITE ON STUFF: Secondary school teachers are on a mission to improve their pay and work conditions. 

Despite continued strikes, and almost a year of negotiations with the Government, the PPTA (Post Primary Teachers’ Association) Te Wehengarua is yet to receive an offer it is satisfied with.

High school teachers have voted overwhelmingly to reject the latest pay offer and have announced more strike action.

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* Bargaining to resume for secondary schools as teacher strikes ramp up
* Difficult Conversations: The secondary teachers’ strikes

The Ministry of Education website says the starting base salary scale for trained secondary teachers is between $51,358 – $61,794, and the top of the base salary scale is between $85,490 – $90,000. Secondary teachers have not received a pay rise in two years, coinciding with a time of near-record inflation.

The latest pay offer to secondary teachers included a lump sum payment of $4500 for union members and three pay rises by December 2024, totalling between 11% and 18%. But it wasn’t enough to reach a deal, with The PPTA saying from the outset of negotiations that teachers need a pay increase that matches inflation.

So, teachers will continue to strike for the remainder of term two, impacting all year groups at different times.

Ongoing strikes are causing frustration for teachers, students, and parents.

Some parents are becoming fed up, and think students’ education shouldn’t suffer in the teachers’ fight for a better offer. Parents have expressed increasing frustrations about constant days off – off the back of Covid-19 lockdowns and weather disruptions.

Some students are stressed and missing out on teaching time. Assessments have been delayed and some of the syllabus has been cut.

Prime Minister Chris Hipkins said he was “frustrated” by the strike action taken and encouraged the union to get back to bargaining. The Government’s position is that a good offer is on the table for secondary school teachers.

Whether you’re a teacher, student, or parent, we want you to share your perspective on the negotiations.

We’re after honest, personal submissions, which are constructive and solutions-based. No shade please.

How are the secondary teachers’ strikes affecting you?

Teachers, share what your day-to-day job is like. What are your responsibilities,  what is your job like, and what are you paid? What would you see as a fair outcome?

High school students, tell us how the strikes are affecting your learning. How are you feeling in general, and how are your stress levels? Do you support the teachers’ strikes, and what would you see as a fair outcome? 

Parents, what are your views? Do you support teachers, and what would you see as a fair outcome?

We’re looking for submissions of between 400-800 words to be published in Stuff Nation. To share your perspective on the secondary teachers’ strikes, hit the contribute button, or email stuffnation@stuff.co.nz. Please attach photos of yourself for the best chance of your submission being published.