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Andrew Dickens: Why I am starting to lose sympathy for teachers

Author
Andrew Dickens,
Publish Date
Wed, 10 Apr 2019, 12:09PM
The whole thing is starting to look ridiculous with teachers appearing to be more and more like truculent children holding their breath until they get their own way and nobody else's. Photo / Mark Mitchell.
The whole thing is starting to look ridiculous with teachers appearing to be more and more like truculent children holding their breath until they get their own way and nobody else's. Photo / Mark Mitchell.

Andrew Dickens: Why I am starting to lose sympathy for teachers

Author
Andrew Dickens,
Publish Date
Wed, 10 Apr 2019, 12:09PM

Yesterday I wondered whether Education Minister Chris Hipkins had too much on his plate. This was taken by some to be Labour bashing. I’d argue it’s more about workflow management and I’d say that to any politician or Minister trying to do as much as Mr Hipkins.

So it should be noted that I have great sympathy for Chris Hipkins and I think he's doing a fine job, as he struggles with the entire teaching profession’s demands for better pay and conditions.

His government has done the best they can and it’s the best in a very long while. They’ve thrown $750 million extra at the problem. They've moved their position, they have negotiated but they've hit the wall.

Now, to reiterate union members would get a three per cent pay rise each year for three years, which would have seen the salaries of 9700 teachers reach $85,481. Teachers were also given the option of bringing forward access to the top rung of the salary scale by 12 months, or to have 10 more hours of classroom release time, each year for three years. In essence, it’s $9500 extra a year, for three years.

But the NZEI say that’s not enough. Which has led the Employment Relations Authority's boss James Crichton to characterise the union's demands as having "an air of unreality about them". That’s a pretty incredible statement. He points out the difference between the two parties is around $1.8 billion. That’s wider than a gulf, that’s more like an ocean.

When the head of the ERA says your demands are unreal and they’re the people who are supposed to come in and meditate, then you know the chances of getting your way are getting lower by the day.

The whole thing is starting to look ridiculous with teachers appearing to be more and more like truculent children holding their breath until they get their own way and nobody else's.

In a perfect world, the teacher’s demands could be seen as realistic. But in the real world, it’s just not possible and if teachers want to have a reality check they could just look at the kids in their classrooms and the child poverty figures that were released last week and ask themselves whether they are the sector most in need of a $2.5 billion handout right now.

As I said yesterday, I am the son of a teacher and I am empathetic. But the teachers continued opposition to compromise is making me lose sympathy

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