Here is an update re our negotiations and the actions of PPCB members

Kia ora PPCB e te Whānau,

As we are entering into good faith bargaining (and see below re: definition for good faith) with the Ministry of Education on March 28th we can confirm PPCB will continue to present our claims at this meeting. At this stage of the bargaining process, PPCB will not be asking its members whether they wish to take actions, including striking, prior to March 28.

If teachers are going to strike we are aware that PPCB principals may seek to support them in a number of ways e.g. newsletters, presentations to boards, and withdrawing their labour. PPCB as an entity will not be striking as we are continuing to bargain in good faith.

It was clear in the setting up of PPCB that our members felt the voices of principals had been lost to the needs of teachers and learning support staff. A separate principal voice for principals' concerns was needed thus PPCB was born. If PPCB members wish to support their teachers they do so as individual principals, not as PPCB members.

After the 28 March negotiations, we will present any offer we receive to you to vote on. If you reject it, we are preparing suggestions of possible actions but will also seek your views.

It is important that we know who we are negotiating for on 28 March. You need to be a current PPCB member on that date for us to present any offer to you. Here is our PPCB website, click here to rejoin. Ensure you rejoin by 31 March to ensure you are covered by our offer.

Negotiations

We have informed the MoE of the main improvements needed for our members in the third round of negotiations.

We are fully aware that many of the drivers for PPCB have been to gain parity with secondary, particularly in the areas of a change to student/ teacher ratios and management units. It's clear that this would help not just principals but teachers and students. This work sits out the collective and is part of staffing orders. PPCB is currently working with other principal groups on the inequities, as this work does not fall in the realm of our Collective Agreement negotiations. But our PPCB Negotiating Team is working hard to make some gains to our Collective Agreement in the next round where we can - see below.

Our Strategic Action Team will also continue the work on restructuring the remuneration scale which will acknowledge the work of principal experience and size of school. This will help with the disparity that has grown between salaries of Deputy/Assistant principals and principals of small schools. You will receive further comms next week from this team.

Claims

1. Remuneration

Although we acknowledge the Ministry of Education has listened to some of our concerns about U1&2 principals, PPCB believes this group of principals need more than a 7.2% increase over two years. This increase still does not fully address the disparity between DP's in large schools and U1&U2 principals. To alleviate this we would like to see a cumulative 10% increase for U1 and U2 principals.

As Prime Minister Hipkins is quoted in an interview with Heather du Plessis-Allan after he announced the minimum wage increase, "Over the past year, the 97% of those not on the minimum wage had had a 7.2 per cent wage increase already on average.”

Obviously, principals are the 3% who haven't had a 7.2% wage offer.

We therefore would like to see a minimum of 7.2% cumulative increase over two years for U3+ principals.

2. Wellbeing fund

Our principals have asked us why our wellbeing is worth $5000 and secondary principals, who have more administration support and leadership units support than primary principals, are worth $6000? We have previously discussed with the Ministry the concerns primary principals have about a lack of parity of conditions with our secondary colleagues. This is just another example. In good faith towards parity in the future we see a $6000 wellbeing fund for primary principals is essential.

3.Sabbaticals

Secondary principals already have greater access to sabbaticals than primary principals so we seek more sabbaticals to address this. Further to that, information on Teach NZ website states that currently secondary principals have access to $5000 worth of expenses through TeachNZ.

We see gaining expenses for sabbatical as necessary for our PPCB members as well. Many of our principals are in schools that do not have extra resources to provide for sabbatical expenses and to ensure equity this expense should be available through TeachNZ on application for primary principals as well.

One of the main concerns for PPCB is to ensure equity for members in the allocation of sabbaticals. We need to redefine the purpose of sabbaticals as, in this day and age, wellbeing for principals needs to be an overriding factor. We would like this to be terms of reference for any working group.

PPCB continues to push parity and reducing disparity. We will be seeking a meeting with the Minister and Secretary of Education to discuss separately from the negotiations.

Denise Torrey

Head of Union

d.torrey@somerfield.school.nz

“Good faith means dealing with each other honestly, openly, and without misleading each other. It requires parties to be active and constructive in establishing and maintaining a productive relationship in which they are responsive and communicative.”