Judith Collins: Public Service Minister on the pay negotiations for primary school teachers

Primary school teachers may have less ground to stand on at the bargaining table.  

They began negotiations yesterday for the first time since losing their pay equity claim in the May Budget. 

The Public Service Minister says there is a public mantra that teachers deserve to be paid more.  

But Judith Collins told Mike Hosking it ignores the facts.  

She says primary school teachers can earn $115 thousand including allowances, after eight years experience. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now we're back sadly into the next and n ainxsty
world of public pay negotiations as the primary teachers are
heading to the negotiating table when the ndz EI says
it will get paid back for the pay equity cuts.
Apparently Judith Collins is of course, the Minister for Public
Service and is well, it's very good morning to you.

Speaker 2 (00:16):
Oh good morning, Mike.

Speaker 1 (00:17):
Is this the big pay equity test? Is this what
this is shaping up to be?

Speaker 2 (00:22):
Well, I think the unions were making it very clear
well before the pay issue came back on to the
agenda that they were pretty much going to make life
very difficult for the New Zealand taxpayer in the government.
And we expect that there will be quite a lot
of strike action, but we're hoping that some common sense

(00:44):
will come through because you know, the primary school teachers
you just mentioned with eight years experience, I'm told they
can earn one hundred and fifteen thousand compluting experience allowances.
And of course it's the twelve weeks each year when
the schools are closed, so you know it's not it is.

Speaker 1 (01:01):
It's glad you're moving the numbers because a couple of
the numbers I've learned of late as nurses in this
country earn well into six figures and teachers do too,
and I'm not sure there as many New Zealanders as
much as we love teachers and we do that would go.
I'll tell you what, that's good money.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
Well, nurse today for six years and more experienced one
hundred and twenty thousand, one hundred and twenty nine obviously
includes allowances over time penal rates, but a lot of
people in their sole businesses or so traders, they don't
get anything for allowances over time peneral rates. So I
think it's a pretty good salary. And I think what

(01:40):
it does say is that nurses are very much respected
by the not the government, by New Zealander.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
As far as the teacher numbers are concerned, and we
had Erica Stanford on big boom in numbers. Does the
fact that we're not desperately short of teachers anymore partially
negate that argument as well?

Speaker 2 (02:00):
Yes, so, because what I think we've found is that
over the years it's very easy to have a mentor
out there such as no nurses deserve more or teachers
wonderful and that's all pay them more but without any
facts being there. But it is really clear when you
look at it that these are good salaries for professional
people who are trying to do their best in their work.

(02:21):
And I think that they are. I mean, look when
they see school principles up to two hundred ninety thousand
a year and twelve weeks every year when the schools
are closed. No, it's not bad.

Speaker 1 (02:31):
Yeah exactly, Well keep preaching that message. Would you rather
be talking about pay negotiations or space or the military?
Where does that hurk? By the way? And is it
moving now that some of the airspace might be opening
up a bit?

Speaker 2 (02:42):
Yeah? So despite the trolls on social media, just remember
that the circus is one year old. It's moving through
it goes from a certain bases to certain bases, and
it has to operate like that because these are not
airline flights. They're not the one. These are hercules in

(03:04):
military pain. So they do take it a while to
get there, but they're going. Well, and give me one tappy.

Speaker 1 (03:10):
So are we going to be getting a lot of
New Zealanders out? And when is that happening? Do we
know yet or not?

Speaker 2 (03:16):
Yeah? Well they've been told multiple times now, haven't they
over the months to get the hell out of places
like Iran and Asraell And of course people are going
to need to get themselves to borders unless airspace opens up.
So there's some hope they might be some airspace. But
if people think we're going to be taking hercules into

(03:36):
Iran at the moment, they'd be you know, they'd be dreaming,
wouldn't they.

Speaker 1 (03:40):
They would be all right, nice to talk to you,
just appreciate it very much. Due to Collins, Public Services Minister,
with a like breaking diversion into defense. There for more
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