Primary Principals and Teacher Industrial Action
Strike: Thursday 16 March
You are probably aware that Primary Principals and Teachers have rejected the Government's latest offer. Our NZEI union members have voted to take industrial action in the form of a strike on Thursday 16 March.
Taking strike action is not something any of us want to do and it's important that you, our whānau, know that for us it's about more than just a pay increase and additional release time as the media is focusing on.
It's about better conditions for kids. A major claim that you may not be aware of is to increase our staffing entitlement to support reducing class sizes and additional teachers to support our learners with additional needs. This would mean more teachers on the ground to ensure our class sizes foster learning and nurture relationships and additional teachers to support those who need it when they need it. The difference this would make for our ākonga and kaiako would be immediate and greatly improve outcomes for our tamariki. We are asking for an investment in our future.
To show support we ask, if you are able, please keep your children home on Thursday 16 March. We have very few non-union members and will not be able to provide normal classroom programmes that day, we can however provide supervision if needed.
Ngā Mihi
Shelley Blakey