New Zealand Educational Institute

NZEI
Full name New Zealand Educational Institute Te Riu Roa
Native name Te Riu Roa
Founded 1883
Members 50,000
Affiliation Education International
Key people Lynda Stuart, President
Paul Goulter, National Secretary
Office location Wellington, New Zealand
Country New Zealand
Website www.nzei.org.nz
NZEI's National Education journal from 1988

The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI, in Maori: Te Riu Roa) is the largest education trade union in New Zealand. It was founded in 1883 and has a membership of 50,000.[1]

History

The NZEI was founded by a merger of district institutes of teachers in 1883[2] at a meeting in Christchurch. It quickly became the nationwide voice of primary school teachers. Since the 1994 merger with the Combined Early Childhood Union of Aotearoa (CECUA) it has also represented teachers in early childhood centres. Since the major New Zealand employment law changes in the 1980s and 1990s,[3] the NZEI negotiates the more than twenty collective agreements across the two sectors, including principals, teachers, support staff, te reo Maori immersion staff and Ministerial staff.[4]

Early childhood education

Due to the relatively fragmented history and nature of early childhood education in New Zealand, the largest number of collective agreements negotiated by the NZEI are in this sector.[4]

Primary schools

Primary staff and principals are on separate collective agreements, with separate agreements for area (rural) staff and principals, but these are negotiated together.[4]

Strikes

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at NZEI Te Riu Roa strike rally on the steps of parliament 15 August 2018

The NZEI has struck four times since it was founded in 1883.[5]

Placards at NZEI Te Riu Roa strike rally on the steps of parliament 15 August 2018. The placards read "We're not going to take it ANYMORE", "It's time to value teachers" and "iTeach, there's no app for that".

In 1991 members struck (unsuccessfully) as part of wider industrial and union action against the Employment Contracts Act 1991,[5] which lead to significant changes in New Zealand employment relations.[6]

Members struck in 1994 and 1995 to successfully achieve pay parity with the Post Primary Teachers' Association,[5] their colleagues in secondary schooling. This related pay scales to the teachers' qualifications.[7]

Members struck in 2018 as part of the negotiation round with the Sixth Labour Government of New Zealand. Rallies and marches were held in the major cities.[5]

References

  1. ↑ http://www.nzei.org.nz/NZEI/Aboutus/NZEI/About-Us/Aboutus.aspx
  2. ↑ "Teachers' Organisations — Primary". An Encyclopaedia of New Zealand. 1966. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  3. ↑ Olssen, Erik (11 March 2010). "Unions and employee organisations - Unions after 1960". Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 https://nzei.org.nz/NZEI/Aboutus.aspx?About_Us=3
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Teachers' strike today: School's out - All you need to know". The New Zealand Herald. 15 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  6. ↑ https://teara.govt.nz/en/strikes-and-labour-disputes/page-10
  7. ↑ https://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=2350693

Further reading

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.