"They go low, we go high"

Kia ora PPCB e te Whānau,

Hope you are surviving the week before the holidays. At our school, we say we are limping towards the end of the term. I’m sure many of you feel the same!

Last week we notified you that we have initiated our bargaining and you will have seen in Iona’s bulletin that both unions have now done so.

As a courtesy, I notified NZEI that we had done this and reiterated that we are looking forward to working with them.

As part of the Employment Relations Act, the Secretary of Education can ask both unions to consolidate our claims so the MoE can negotiate with us on one collective. I have assured the MoE that PPCB is very happy to work with NZEI to consolidate the claims. To date, I have not received a request from the Secretary but when I do I will once again contact NZEI.

Sadly, like many principals, I have found NZEI communications a bit wanting recently. To date, I have never received information from them on the Teachers PUMs or anything about Principals Week. The joining with other unions for pay purposes seemed rushed as many of you have communicated with me.

At PPCB we have a mantra directly from Michelle Obama, “ When they go low, we go high .” So I will continue to try to communicate with NZEI, as I suggest you do, as many of us are NZEI and they are our colleagues and our friends.

Hayley and I have been working closely with PPCB’s lawyer to refine our claims. They are not there yet but we have shared where we are currently at and this afternoon hope to put the finishing touches.  These claims are what you told us you wanted.  Please find the claims in this publication for your perusal.

Included in this publication is an article from Ben Gorman, a CPPA principal, informing you that you can keep you medical insurance through NZEI, even if you are not a member. This is not an endorsement but a sharing of information.

We have updated our website and will soon have a members portal. This portal will have claims, up to date information as it happens so you know exactly what we are doing. It will also contain our surveys etc so we can be completely transparent.

We are 'principals for principals' and want you to feel you are part of the process.

Kia haumaru ki a koe.  Keep safe and well.

Nga mihi,

Denise Torrey

Head of Union

d.torrey@somerfield.school.nz