NEW ZEALAND Primary teachers have finally won their battle for pay parity with secondary teachers. After 15 months of tough negotiations and two strikes, the primary teachers have won a deal which will give pay rises of up to 30 per cent and which will cost the Government an extra $90 million a year. The increases are to be phased in over three years.
However, the parity, based on 1995 secondary rates, may be shortlived. It has not been incorporated into a unified pay scale for primary and secondary teachers - the subject of a separate working party - and secondary teachers have signalled they will push for a substantial pay rise when they enter negotiations at the end of the year.
