NEW ZEALAND: The primary school teachers’ union has called off plans to ballot members for further strike action in return for a promise from the Government that it is committed to pay parity with the secondary sector.
The union, the NZEI, said it was satisfied by a commitment by Jim Bolger, the prime minister, to “an integrated teaching service where the pay of teachers is not determined by whether they work in the primary or secondary sector”.
NZEI has also agreed to be part of a working party which will look at a unified teaching service. The PPTA (the secondary teachers’ union) is not supporting the bid for parity because it fears it will prevent it getting pay increases for its members.
