Support Staff not getting a fair deal

I was very disheartened at how NZEI is advertising to everyone of the BOOST to Support Staff pay packets with a 4% pay rise over a little under 29 months.

Saying it like that makes it sound like we are getting 4% straight out – we are hearing comments like wow you are getting a 4% pay rise – yeah right! On the ‘Speak Up for education’ release (16 August 2011) it doesn’t even mention the breakdown of the 4% over the 3 years only says “over a little under 29 months”.
To me this is falsifying the settlement – when it is fact only 1.5% this year 2011, 1.25% 2012 and 1.25% in 2013.
Putting it in money terms by the end of the pay rises in 2013 the majority of support staff wages will received the huge sum of 73 - 92 cents per hour extra, apart from the very first step on Grade A whose pay will rise by $1.03. Wow that is going to be a huge boost to our wages, doesn’t even catch us up with past inflation rates let alone the present one.

I believe the NZEI teachers received 3% rise straight out – not spread over 3 years. How sad is that – it make me feel that my worth is only half of a teachers worth, really just a nobody at the bottom of the education heap. Though without someone doing a job like mine in the administration role of the school, the school wouldn’t be able to function properly. Without teacher support people classes would not be able to function properly.

I thought that we were fighting for a fair deal – doesn’t sound like one to me especially with NZEI trying to pull the wool over people’s eyes and advertising it as 4% - and the ‘over a little under 29 months’ bit – 29 months is a hell of a long time.
It would have been to have better to have been up front and told it how it is e.g. 1.5% this year etc.

Even Anne Tolley is on the bandwagon quoting from TSTNZ – News in Education “If ratified by members, it represents a significant rise in wages for lower paid support staff “ - wow you guys have handed the National Party a great electioneering statement if it is ratified.

My workplace support staff colleagues have similar feelings and are against ratifying this settlement– it will be interesting to see what happens at the stop work meetings.

I have been in my job for over 17 years – I have seen many changes over the years in schools, I was the first Franklin NZEI Support Staff Co-ordinator, organising meetings and support staff dinners for many years and presently as a cluster leader. I know that Support staff will not get a fair deal until we are centrally funded by the Ministry but it doesn’t help when our own union is advertising the settlement of the negotiations in such a way as to make it look and sound so good when in fact it’s not.

I don’t normally do this sort of thing but this time I really feel I need to make a comment.