Chris McKeen/Stuff
Secondary school and area school teachers across the North Island will be striking on Thursday.
Secondary school and area school teachers from the Central Plateau to the top of the North Island will be striking for better pay on Thursday.
Vaughan Couillault, head of the Secondary Principals’ Association and Papatoetoe High School principal, said many schools will have closed their doors to cope.
Has your school been affected by the teacher strike? Email aucklandnewsroom@stuff.co.nz
It’s the largest of teachers’ three-day rolling regional strikes that started in the South Island on Tuesday and travelled up towards Northland.
Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Western Bay of Plenty, Central Plateau, Hauraki, Coromandel, East Coast, Auckland and Northland teachers will all be striking on Thursday.
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Papatoetoe High School is closed for teaching on Thursday but has remained open to supervise students who cannot stay home.
The continued interruption for students has been frustrating, Couillault said.
Robyn Edie/Stuff
A group of mostly Southland Girls High school teachers gather to protest in Southland on Tuesday morning.
“Every day students aren’t in the classroom is a day lost,” he said. “If you throw in areas that have been affected by the cyclone and storms, that’s a lot of time.”
Secondary school teachers will also be holding a year level strike, where teachers across New Zealand refuse to take year 13 classes.
Area school teachers are covered under NZEI Te Riu Roa union, while striking secondary school teachers are a part of the Post Primary Teacher’s Association union.
Both unions are asking for salary increases to match inflation and more guidance staff to work with an increasing number of students who are struggling with mental health and societal issues.
The Employment Relations Authority has tried to step in to help the 10-month pay agreement impasse between the PPTA and the Government, but negotiations are still at a standstill.
The PPTA said the teacher shortage needs to be addressed, while the government are arguing they have been negotiating in good faith and urgency.
The teaching profession is facing a dire staffing shortage, and many teachers looking to leave the profession.
Around one-third of advertised jobs could not be filled.
