Fighting talk from teachers' union president, who says fight with Government 'will get rougher'

Teachers and principals with signs and flags chanting ‘time to teach, time to lead this is what our children need’ in Ponsonby and New North Road today.

There's fighting talk from striking teachers at one of 30 stop work meetings in Auckland this morning.

NZEI President Lynda Stuart has told an audience of about 200 gathered at Alexandra Park that the latest offer from the Government hadn't addressed key issues of release time and workload.

"The Government is relying on us to be too exhausted to keep fighting," Ms Stuart says.

She says with Education Minister Chris Hipkins "adopting an entrenched position" the fight was going to "get rougher" if teachers wanted to keep pushing for better work conditions.

National leader Simon Bridges says industrial action from teachers is understandable when you consider what the government is “wasting” money on.

Ms Stuart said one option was for teachers to "hunker down and start the fight of their professional lives next year."

She said that could see the NZEI join forces with their secondary school counterparts, the PPTA.

This would see the Government fighting with teachers on two fronts if pay rounds are not successfully completed.

Primary teachers will vote in an electronic ballot in about a fortnight.

'I am worth it' - children get involved in the primary school teachers strike too.

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