Principals are expected to deliver warning letters to Ministry of Education offices around the country today, calling for an improved pay offer.
Stephanie Thompson, Beach Haven Primary School principal and North Shore Principals Association president, told 1 NEWS she understands principals will hand over letters to Ministry of Education offices, signalling their intention to stop taking part in ministry-related work.
"We won’t be doing anything that disadvantages our students, our communities, our teachers, our schools," Ms Thompson said.
"It’s important the Ministry of Education realises we're disappointed and dissatisfied with the offer that doesn't address pay parity with our secondary colleagues."
They’re calling for a better deal after rejecting the Government’s latest pay offer.
She said the work principals are threatening to disengage from includes work groups and meetings on curriculum reform, digital technology and professional learning initiated by the Ministry.
Ms Thompson said the most disappointing part of the ongoing negotiations for her is that improving the collective agreement offer for the country’s 2000 principals would be an "easy" and "inexpensive fix" for the Government.
"At the end of the day it's about the health of our system and if your leadership is suffering, that's not a good wellbeing look," she said.
But principals have rejected the offer.
Ms Thompson said the Government needs to address principals' increasing workload and their wellbeing, improve starting salaries to attract and retain principals at small schools, and put pay parity with secondary principals in their base pay scales in place.
Last week, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Education said a negotiation meeting with the New Zealand Educational Institute union was expected to take place this week.
The latest Government offer rejected by principals would have seen pay rises of at least $13,500 over three years, a one-off $1500 payment, and extra support for principals at small schools who also teach.
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