John MacDonald: Judith Collins is egging on parents and it needs to stop

The Government is really spooked by this week’s mega strike. With about 100,000 people expected to walk off the job on Thursday.

If it wasn’t spooked, we wouldn't have Public Service Minister Judith Collins writing this open letter to patients, students and families affected by the doctors, nurses, teachers, prison staff and other healthcare workers going on  strike.

It’s a letter which, I think, ups the ante on the serve Health Minister Simeon Brown gave doctors last week over their involvement. Because what Judith Collins says in the letter, aside from how much the Government regrets the impact the strike is going to have on people - which it is, she’s encouraging parents to do, what I would describe as, harassment of teachers.

She’s saying to parents - especially those with younger kids who are going to have to make alternative arrangements for the day because they can’t leave the young ones at home on their own - that they should quiz teachers about the timing of their action. 

Why they’re striking in a week when many schools already have teacher-only days and on a day so close to the Labour Day holiday on Monday.

And I think this is so wrong.

Because, if you’ve ever had kids at school, you will know that quite a few parents don’t need any encouragement to have a go at the teachers.

You always hear stories about parents hounding teachers about this and that. And, every now and then, you hear stories about people quitting teaching altogether because of the relentless hassle they get from parents.

And the Government, with this open letter, is just encouraging more of that.

It’s calling the mega strike “politically-motivated”. But the Government stands accused of the exact same thing with this open letter. As well as the outburst last week from the Health Minister.

One of the reasons the Government thinks it’s politically-motivated is the secondary teachers union wanting to discuss Palestine when it met with the Education Minister.

That was just dumb and didn’t do their cause any good.

But the Government just needs to accept that the mega strike is happening and it needs to stop this attack on people who are doing nothing illegal. They’re fully within their rights to strike and  this harassment has to stop.

If you heard me last week criticising the firefighters for striking, because I thought it put us at unnecessary risk, then you might think it’s a  bit rich of me to be having a go at the Government today.

The difference is, I’m not a government minister. More importantly, though, I wasn’t encouraging anyone to confront the firefighters. Far from it.

But that’s what the Public Service Minister is doing.

The teachers shouldn’t have to defend themselves to nagging parents and the Government shouldn’t be egging them on.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Canterbury Mornings podcast with John McDonald
from Newstalk Z'B.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
I tell you what the government really is spooked by
this week's mega strikers center. It is booked to the
hilt about one hundred thousand people walking off the job
on Thursday, and the government is spooked because it's not
going to paint things in a very good light. Ey,

(00:33):
It's not going to look like an outfit back on track,
is it. If the government wasn't spooked by it all,
then we wouldn't be having Public Service Minister Jerd Collins
writing this open letter to patients, students and families affected
by the doctors, nurses, teachers, prison staff and other healthcare
workers going on strike. It wouldn't be happening if they

(00:57):
weren't terrified about it. It's a letter which I think
ups the ampty on the serving that Health Minister Simeon
Brown gave the doctors last week over their involvement, and
it ups the ante because what Judith Colins says in
the letter, aside from how much the government regrets the
impact the striker is going to have on people, which

(01:18):
it is going to have an impact, there's no denying that.
But where Judith Colins takes at next level is her
encouragement for parents to do what I would describe as
harassment of teachers. She's saying to parents, especially those with
younger kids, who are going to have to make alternative
arrangements for the day because they can't leave the kids

(01:39):
at home on their own, the young ones. Judith Colins
wants these parents to confront their kids' teachers during drop
off and pack up and ask them why they're striking
in a week when many schools already have teacher only days,
and on a day so close to the Labor Day
holiday on Monday. And I think this is so wrong

(02:00):
because if you've ever had kids at school, you'll know
that quite a few parents don't need any encouragement to
have a go with the teachers, let alone encouragement from
a government minister. You always hear stories about parents hounding
teachers about this and about that, and every now and
then you hear stories about people quitting teaching altogether because

(02:22):
of the relentless hassle and grief they get from parents,
and the government with this open letter is just encouraging
more of it. And the government with this open letter
has been downright irresponsible. That's calling the mega strike quote
politically motivated. But I think the government stands accused of

(02:45):
the exact same thing with this open letter as well
as the outburst last week from the Health Minister. One
of the reasons the government thinks it's politically motivated is
the Secretary Teachers Union wanting to discuss Palestine when it
met with the Education Minister. I mean that no argument
from me on that one. That was just dumb and

(03:05):
it didn't do their cause any good. But look, irrespective
of that, the government just needs to accept that the
mega strikers happening and it needs to stop this attack
on people who are doing nothing illegal. They're fully within
their rights to strike and this harassment has to stop now.
If you were listening last week when I was criticizing

(03:27):
the firefighters for striking because I thought it put us
at unnecessary risk, if you were listening, then you might think,
right now, hold on, that's a bit rich, but rich
of you to be having to go at the government today.
Difference is, though I'm not a government minister, and more importantly,
I wasn't encouraging anyone to confront the firefighters about it.
In fact, far from it. That's what Public Service Minister

(03:49):
Jude to the Collins is doing, telling parents they should
be quzzing teachers about the timing of the strikes. She's
saying to parents, go and ask these clowns why they're striking,
then having a teacher only day, then having a day
off on Monday because the long weekend, the nerve of it,
that's what she's saying. She is, for all intents and purposes,
calling on people to harass teachers who aren't breaking the law,

(04:13):
whose actions yet might be a bit of an inconvenience.
But that's all as far as I'm concerned. The teachers
shouldn't have to defend themselves to nagging parents, and the
government shouldn't be encouraging these parents to harass them about it.
But that's how I feel. But how do you see it?

Speaker 1 (04:29):
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