More than 100,000 primary school students in Auckland will be at home from school today as they strike again following the rejection of a second pay offer last month.
Primary school teachers and principals are protesting in Auckland today with signs and flags while chanting ‘time to teach, time to lead this is what our children need’.
Teachers are demanding smaller class sizes, more resources and a significant pay increase.
A number of primary school teachers who were striking today say the Government are just not offering enough.
“The offer the government have put is just not good enough, its not going to be a long term fix it needs to be fixed now,” one teacher protesting in Ponsonby told 1 NEWS.
“We’re actually looking at doing two days rolling because it’s more important we actually get the funding for education because it has been so disgustingly funded for so long.”
A couple of teacher aides said it is not just about the pay but having more time in their classes with the children who have special needs.
“We are in crisis, there are good teachers leaving schools daily.”
Some teachers also said because the conditions are so poor in New Zealand people are looking overseas.
“I think people are looking overseas because the conditions for teachers in Australia and other places is so much better, we’ve got fabulous teachers in New Zealand we have got to keep them here.”
The Employment Relations Authority has slammed the teachers' union's pay demands as "totally unrealistic" and is urging teachers to take the Government's offer.
The Government announced in October that it would spend an additional $10.5 million to recruit 850 additional teachers for next year - bringing the total cost of this year's recruitment drive to $40 million.
But this wasn't enough to avert teachers from striking again.
Today’s strike is the first of five expected across the country this week.
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