Secondary teachers’ collective agreement ratified

&NewLine;<p><img class&equals;" alignright size-full wp-image-1893" src&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;schoolnewsnz&period;fastrackdev&period;com&sol;wp-content&sol;uploads&sol;2015&sol;11&sol;SND21-wk1-PPTA&lowbar;agreement&lowbar;-angela&lowbar;roberts1&period;jpg" alt&equals;"SND21-wk1-PPTA agreement -angela roberts1" style&equals;"margin&colon; 5px&semi; float&colon; right&semi;" width&equals;"300" height&equals;"365" &sol;>PPTA members have ratified their new Secondary Teachers&&num;8217&semi; Collective Agreement &lpar;STCA&rpar;&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p> <&excl;--more--> <&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The settlement is effective immediately and includes a two per cent salary increase each year for two years and an average of 2&period;5 per cent for a third&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Ministry of Education has also agreed to pay members&&num;8217&semi; Education Council practising certificate fees for three years&comma; increase the number of secondary sabbaticals&comma; increase some allowances and resolve a longstanding coverage issue&period;&nbsp&semi;None of the Ministry&&num;8217&semi;s claims to reduce conditions were accepted&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>The Ministry had also committed to a serious investigation into improving working conditions for teachers&comma; PPTA president Angela Roberts said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;It is great that they have acknowledged there are issues around conditions and are prepared to tackle them&period; We look forward to seeing some real change&comma;&&num;8221&semi; she said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Ms Roberts thanked PPTA members for being so strong and clear about what they required&period;<br &sol;>&&num;8220&semi;Once members showed they were serious the Ministry showed a commendable willingness to listen and move on issues&comma;&&num;8221&semi; she said&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Both sides had made concessions but the result showed the importance of collective bargaining&comma; particularly when it came to the teaching profession&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&&num;8220&semi;The Minister of Education has talked about raising the status of the teaching profession and&comma; while this doesn&&num;8217&semi;t get us all the way there&comma; it is a helpful start&period;&&num;8221&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>&nbsp&semi;<&sol;p>&NewLine;