As regular readers will know there is little love lost with me and unions, more so with teacher’s unions. I consider it my life’s mission to bust unions.
With the possible advent of a real education system (as opposed to the current Labour inspired de-education /brainwashing system) I was inspired to have a look at teacher’s employment agreements to see what outcomes are expected of them. In the words of Scribe it turns out that there is “not many, if any”.
The primary teachers agreement seems typical, 96 pages of rights and as far as I can see not a single mention of performance, standards or outcomes!
I haven’t attempted to work out the cumulative effect of non-contact hours, leave etc, but I suspect that in many cases we (really) may actually be paying them to stay away from the schools!
For example you know “how hard we work in the holidays” lines they use, complete bull:
2.10.3 Except as provided in 2.10.1 employees shall not be required to attend school during any time when the school is officially closed for instruction. However Boards may require employees to attend school or elsewhere, when the school is closed for instruction (except on weekends or public holidays unless by agreement) for up to ten days per school year
There are allowances and payments for everything imaginable including:
5.5 Tea Allowance
A tea allowance of $54.64 per annum is payable to employees who do not receive free
morning and afternoon tea.
Pay for some to get to work:
5.7 Transport Allowance for Relieving Employees
Relieving employees in short term positions appointed for a period of up to 1 term shall be granted assistance towards their daily travelling expenses to and from school as follows:
(a) If public transport is not available, the employee shall be paid a motor vehicle allowance at the rate of 37c per km for a car and 16c per km for a motor cycle for the distance involved less the first ten kilometres each day ….
Solid gold redundancy including a 30 week holiday:
9A.7 Redeployment and Retraining
In the first instance the parties will consider whether the teacher can:
(a) Redeployment/supernumerary – be redeployed for 30 school weeks within the school or at any other school requested by the teacher with the approval of the original board and of the board of that other school. During this time the teacher shall continue to seek a suitable alternative position ……
or (and?) huge payouts:
9A.10 Long Service Leave and Severance Provisions
Where the options outlined in 9A.7(a) and (b) have been thoroughly explored and no such option is suitable, the employer shall offer a teacher either:
(a) Long Service Payment – To be paid a long service payment to assist a teacher, with not less than twenty-five years service, to retire from the teaching service. The payment will be equivalent to twenty-six weeks salary at the time of termination; or
(b) Severance – to be paid a severance payment based on the following table:
Length of Service / Weeks of Payment
(Ordinary Pay)
Up to three years / 7 weeks
Over 3 and up to 5 years / 15 weeks
Over 5 years / 23 weeks
It goes on (and on and on) with perks, payments and let outs.
The only vaguely “responsibility” section is in the schedules at the rear
Schedule 3
Interim Framework of Professional Standards for Teachers
Note the bias – again all to do with them and nothing to do with their actual function in life (well what any normal person would see as their function) – with mind blowing gems like:
demonstrate a high level of knowledge of relevant curriculum, and of current learning
and
continually evaluate and reflect on their teaching and act on areas where it can be improved
and
demonstrate a high level of commitment to student welfare and learning
All navel gazing rubbish – as hard as I look, nothing to say they actually teach children and must (or even may) get results!
The rest of the NZEI agreements aren’t any better.
It is high time the government busted the chops of some of these unions.




