PPTA president Kate Gainsford says they would like to see progress at the table rather than strike action and the result of the vote will be announced on Monday.

Fairness rallies the start – more to come ISEA members and staff joined several thousand other workers at rallies in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch today in protest at the Government’s proposed employment law changes. The rallies, organised by the CTU brought together workers from every sector of the economy in a celebration of Fairness at Work.

CTU President Helen Kelly said: “This was the start of our campaign against these unfair law changes. Today we are announcing a national day of action on Wednesday 20 October.”

Today’s rallies were addressed by workers, some of whom had been sacked unfairly under the 90 day law for small businesses which the Government wants to extend to all workplaces. There were also speeches from church leaders and officials, as well as musical performances, dance and other entertainment.

Click here for Photos of the Rally.

Stop the attacks on your working conditions.

Do You Know that the new changes are designed to:

1. Stop ISEA meeting with you at your school?

2. Allow the employer to undermine our discussions on your collective negotiations by communicating directly with you instead of through your association?

3. All schools could be subject to 90 days employment trial and potential dismissal for newly employed teachers and support staff for no reason, without legal recourse?

4. Employers no longer have to strictly follow the proper process when disciplining teachers and support staff?

Click here to make a submission.

Click here for a copy of the new Employment Relations Bill.

“The CTU has launched a Fairness at Work Campaign which is developing momentum. We have released two stories so far from workers unfairly dismissed from small enterprises and we are holding rallies this weekend in Auckland, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.” here

Click here for a copy of the new Bill.

Click here for the CTU Organising Centre

We Didn't Ask For:-

The 90 Day Fire-at-Will Law
The Government is going to remove everyone’s right to appeal against unfair dismissal in the first 90 days of a new job, not just those in small companies

Our ACC entitlements to be cut
The Government is gutting ACC, cutting back pay-outs, forcing workers back to work before they are better, denying treatment with any excuse they can find, and letting private insurers and case managers in which will cost more and pay out less

Our every sick day off to be queried
Employers will be able to ask for a medical certificate for even one day off sick – even if your kids are sick!

Our right to regular breaks to be rolled back
The Government has repealed the law on lunch and tea breaks which had only just come in – now you have to negotiate them with your boss again

Our access to our employees' association in our workplace to be cut
Workers will need their boss’s agreement to have their representatives come to the workplace. National will let employers decide when members can see their workers' associations at work. Employers will use this to try to stop workers organising. Workers have international human rights to be in a workers’ association

Our holiday to be sold off
Now the Government wants to let you ‘sell’ your 4th week’s leave back to your employer for cash – opening the door to taking it away altogether

Click here for the CTU flyer that you can print-off and distribute.

ENDS

Click here for the Stuff article by By Tracey Watkins.

Members' access only.

Unions will hold a war council

A war council will be held this week to decide how to fight sweeping changes to employment laws.

They entered the hotel shouting slogans against the Government's changes, which include making it easier to fire workers, extending the 90 day trial for new staff and tightening organisers' access to workplaces.The move comes after protesters stormed security and police cordons outside the National Party's annual conference at the SkyCity Grand Hotel in Auckland yesterday.

Click here for the NZ Herald article by By Yvonne Tahana and Edward Gay.

National Conversation about Work.

This very interesting and extensive HRC report has been released today. Given the current climate and issues abounding about probationary periods this provides good and up to date background information and reflects a different picture of how New Zealand workers feel about their work and what is important to them and their issues. Below are links to the interview: the regional reports and the summary report as well as a list of the recommendations in the report from today’s press release .

The Human Rights Commission's National Conversation about Work has spoken to 3000 employers and employees around New Zealand over the past two years.

Click here For more information about 'National Conversation about Work'.

All new workers set to face 90 day trial & Unions barred from Workplaces.

In addition, Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson said that she was looking at ways to have reasonable grounds to withhold consent for access to workplaces.

Fax [03] 940.2060
Email: walkermandr@xtra.co.nz

Press Release by Hon Sir Roger Douglas, ACT New Zealand.

Thursday, June 17 2010.

ACT New Zealand MP Sir Roger Douglas was today pleased to have his Education (Board of Trustee Freedom) Amendment Bill pulled from the Ballot - his fourth Bill to be pulled this term.

Click here For more detail of the Bill.

CTU media release, 20 May 2010 A number of nasty surprises have emerged from yesterday’s Budget, says the Council of Trade Unions.

These include:

· Allowing employers using the Job Opportunities subsidy to dismiss workers in the first 3 months with no appeal rights

· Removing the tax rebate on redundancy pay

· Slashing employment relations education funding.

CTU President Helen Kelly said: “It is a major concern that employers can claim up to a $5,000 subsidy through the Job Ops scheme yet unfairly dismiss that subsidised worker desperate for a chance to work given the ongoing impact of the recession on young people. To remove the right of appeal against unfair dismissal from such vulnerable workers is grossly unfair.”

Kelly said that the removal of the tax rebate for redundancy pay should be reconsidered. At the present time a worker who receives redundancy compensation and therefore ends up in a higher tax bracket can get a 6 percent reduction in tax on their compensation. The same principle should apply from October even though the rebate would be a different amount given changed tax scales.

The cut in employment relations education (from $2 million to $889,000) will undermine opportunities for initiatives in areas such as employment rights, representative training, and health and safety. “It is a sign that the Government does not see any real significance in the role of fostering positive employment relations,” said Kelly.

Communication by Peter Lind - Teachers Council.

Today the Teachers Council have sent a communication out to all teachers confirming that they will be increasing the fee from: • $120 (including GST) to $216 (including GST) effective from 1 July 2010. Note, from 1 October 2010 the amount will become $220.80 (including GST) to reflect the rise in the GST rate from 12.5% to 15%.

This is the first time the fee has increased since 2002 and is necessary to fully meet the costs of providing the Council’s improved and expanded services to teachers.

In addition, the Teachers Council advise that as the Education Amendment Act has now passed into law, the New Zealand Teachers Council is no longer responsible for the Non Teacher Police Vetting process for schools and early childhood education services.

All vetting will now be done directly through the New Zealand Police.

Click here for the Police letter. relating to these changes

Click here for the MoE website.The Ministry of Education will be sending out a circular relating to these changes, which has also been published on their website.

Beehive Media Release.

Associate Minister of Education Heather Roy today confirmed that the Government is committed to modernising the laws that regulate Independent Schools in New Zealand and will implement a number of the recommendations made by the New Zealand Law Commission in its report published last year.

"Laws must be routinely reviewed to ensure their continued relevance, and those governing independent schools are out-dated. The Commission's report makes recommendations to address weaknesses in the laws and the Government will ensure the quality of regulation is improved," Mrs Roy said.

"Those recommendations cover a number of areas, including: updating registration criteria and introducing tougher sanctions on independent schools that breach the law, particularly where children's welfare is seriously at risk. The report also sets out proposals that will clarify a range of other provisions in the 1989 Education Act.

Click here For more detail of the Government press release.

PPTA Media Release.

Both PPTA and the Ministry of Education presented claims for the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement (STCA) today, but it will take some work to bring the two together, PPTA president Kate Gainsford says. PPTA’s claim focused on professional support for teachers, student and teacher learning conditions, remuneration and good employment conditions. But the ministry’s claim did little to address recruitment and retention issues, Gainsford said.

Teachers will do preparation, evaluation, assessment, counselling and pastoral work, administration in respect of curriculum or administration and extracurricular in addition to their teaching duties.

make teachers attend at employer discretion with written notice only and with no requirement to reimburse expenses.

To remove the average class size provision (5.9) entirely.

Increase the use of fixed-term units to “reward” teachers and allow units to be divisible.

Plus much, much more seemingly designed to erode teachers' conditions.

"The ministry’s claim carefully avoided any mention of money at all, Gainsford said. “We are fully cognizant of the fiscal environment, but see the time we have together at the bargaining table as a way resolve problems. We have been able to do this in the past, and we have signaled our intention is to continue with that approach. “It’s a chance for this government to invest in education as a response to the global financial crisis – and not use it as an excuse for short-sighted cuts,” she said.

PPTA executive will meet on Wednesday and formal responses will be tabled on dates set aside for bargaining later in May.

Click here For more detail in the PPTA Collective Newsletter".

"The Bill removes the definite break entitlements provided by the current law and replaces them with a right for the employee to have breaks, but this right is not precisely defined as to frequency or length. This provides greater opportunity for disagreement between employers and employees. Definition of breaks may be included in employment contracts". from Parliamentary Bills Digest.

The issue of some of our schools imposing unreasonable extra workloads coupled with non-compliance with current legislation imposes huge stress on our members. The current legislation does create pressures on employers to adjust timetables but resolution to administrative difficulties can be worked through. Already some schools are reluctant to provide even 30mins lunch for staff without duty-time or cutting into non-contact time. I am concerned about the effect on our members of this new legislation says ISEA CEO, Grant Gillon.

Click here to see the Employment Relations (Rest Breaks and Meal Breaks) Amendment Bill as sent to the Select Committee

Click here to see the Employment Relations (Rest Breaks and Meal Breaks) Bills Digest: An easy to understand explanation of the legislation.

Press Release by CTU 30th April 2010

"Tax changes will probably create the headlines. We know of the probable 20 percent increase in GST from 12.5 percent to 15 percent. But the way low income people are “compensated” for that increased cost will need scrutiny, and how much more than “compensation” high income earners get in their tax reductions is equally important.....the benefits will go to people on high incomes." Read more from the CTU economic analysis

Click here to see the CTU Economic Analysis and Budget Predictions".

Communication by Peter Lind - Teachers Council.

"In December I advised you of the timetable for implementing the Council’s new Registered Teacher Criteria." This and other supporting information is available on our website

http://www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/rtc/rtc-implementation.stm

To express your interest in attending the workshops and to receive details of dates and locations text “CRITERIA” to 244 (txts cost 20c) or email alastair.mclean@teacherscouncil.govt.nz. Information can also be found on the NZ Teachers Council website at www.teacherscouncil.govt.nz/policy/rtc-workshops.stm.

We have planned a number of workshops in major centres in the expectation of high demand. We will confirm the particular dates and provide details about venues when we have a firmer idea of numbers requesting to register. For this reason we ask you to register interest by Friday April 30th.

Click here For more information on the Teachers Council Workshops".

PPTA Media Release.

Thousands of teachers around the country have voted on a collective agreement claim that focuses on high quality, well-resourced public education. PPTA president Kate Gainsford says there is “overwhelming support” for the proposed package, with 97% of those who voted backing the claim. The proposals cover four areas – student and teacher learning conditions, professional support for teachers, remuneration, and good employment conditions.

The proposal for a base scale increase of 4% for a one-year term and improvements to targeted allowances had strong membership support, she said.

“It’s about maintaining the value of a secondary teacher’s job. Our teachers are part of a global market and we need to ensure secondary teaching is a first choice career.”

Click here For voting results of the PPTA Discussions".

By PPTA.

PPTA are calling for an improved base level remuneration of 4% for a one-year term and a range of further improvements to targeted allowances. There is also a proposal for an additional 1% employer contribution for those teachers who have only had access to Kiwisaver - to bring it up to the 3% it was before the Labour-led government closed the Teachers’ Retirement Savings Scheme, in view of a better Kiwisaver scheme being phased in.

Click here For more information on the PPTA Discussions".

Click here For the PPTA members' decsions on the Discussions".

By NZEI.

Thousands of school support staff will see a boost in their pay packets this week after the ratification of a pay settlement reached last year.

Support staff work at the frontline of education supporting children and schools in roles such as teacher aides, administrators, librarians and sports co-ordinators. They are historically one of the lowest paid groups of workers in the country.

Click here For more information on the support staff pay changes".