Date 17 August 2023 | Circular 2023/08 | Category Employment Relations

This circular is about the details of the recently agreed variations to Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement 2022-24, and the Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists’ Collective Agreement 2022-24, as well as information on applicable Individual Employment Agreements (IEAs) related to both variations. These variations give effect to the Public Sector Pay Adjustment (PSPA).

This circular does not replace any other.

It is intended for presiding members of school boards of all state and state-integrated primary, area and secondary schools.

Actions

• Note the details of the two PSPA variations, including the new rates of pay that are provided for staff working in positions covered by the above two collective agreements, and the lump sum payments being made.
• Note that a one-off gross payment of $750 will be made to all school support staff, kaiārahi i te reo and therapists employed as at 1 December 2022 who are members of NZEI Te Riu Roa or E tū on that date. This payment will be pro-rated for part-time employees.
• Note a separate one-off gross payment of $500 will be made to all school support staff, kaiārahi i te reo and therapists who are employed at 1 December 2023. The $500 payment is pro-rated for part time employees.
• Note that the variations to the Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists’ Collective Agreement 2022-24 and the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement 2022-24 offer increased remuneration to all employees as well as certain lump sum payments.
• Existing staff who have already signed the IEA promulgated on 6 March 2023 (support staff) or 4 July 2022 (kaiarahi and therapists) will also be entitled to these benefits, without needing to sign a new IEA.
• ** Existing non-union employees do not need to sign a new Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) if they have already signed a Support Staff IEA dated 4 July 2022 or 6 March 2023, or the Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists IEA dated 4 July 2022. Those employees automatically receive the benefits of the PSPA variation.**
• New staff will need to sign the relevant promulgated IEA, on appointment.
• Schools will receive additional funding to cover the increased costs of these variations to collective agreements before the payments are made to employees.

Introduction

On 27 July 2023, the Support Staff in Schools’ Collective Agreement 2022-24 (SSSCA) and the Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists’ Collective Agreement 2022-24 (KRTCA) were varied in agreement with NZEI Te Riu Roa and E Tu.

This circular provides a summary of the changes and new provisions agreed in the variation.

The full collective agreements can be downloaded from the Ministry of Education’s website and printed copies will be available from the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA).

Collective agreements

Key features of the settlement

Remuneration increases

The variation provides for gross increases of up to $4,000 p.a. with effect from 1 December 2022, and gross increases of the greater of $2,000 or 3% p.a. (whichever is larger) for a second increase with effect from 1 December 2023.

These more favourable Public Service Pay Adjustment based increases replace increases agreed either as part of the 2 June 2022 SSSCA and KRTCA settlement, or as part of pay equity settlements reached during the term of the SSSCA and KRCA (i.e., for administration staff, kaiārahi i te Reo, librarians and science technicians).

Lump sum payments

The proposed variation also provides for 2 lump sum payments. 

1. A one-off lump sum of $750, for all NZEI Te Riu Roa and E tū members employed as at 1 December 2022. This is to acknowledge the benefits arising out of the parties’ relationship. This will be pro-rated for part-time and casual staff. A minimum amount of $75 will be paid.
2. A one-off lump sum of $500, for all employees employed as at 1 December 2023. This will be pro-rated for part-time and casual staff. A minimum amount of $50 will be paid. It will also be passed on to employees on individual employment agreements.

As the variation increases remuneration for teacher aides, the Tiaki Allowance specified in the SSSCA clause 5.4.4(a) will increase in line with the rate changes to step 5 of the pay scale resulting in an increase to the 2 June 2022 rate of $2.76 per hour to $2.86 per hour from 1 December 2022 and to $2.96 per hour from 1 December 2023.

Term

The variation extends the term for both collective agreements from 20 June 2022 to 19 December 2024.

Professional Learning and Development

The extension to the term of both collective agreements will give the Ministry, NZEI Te Riu Roa and the NZ School Trustees Association time to reframe the scope of the Administration Support Staff PLD Working Group to rename and incorporate representatives from Librarians and Science Technician occupation groups into that working group and its Terms of Reference.

The extension to the term of the KRTCA will also provide additional time for the Kaiārahi PLD working group to establish and implement an agreed framework for professional learning and development for kaiārahi I te reo.

Individual Employment Agreement (IEA)

Existing employees

** Existing non-union employees do not need to sign a new Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) if they have already signed a Support Staff IEA dated 4 July 2022 or 6 March 2023, or the Kaiārahi i te Reo and Therapists IEA dated 4 July 2022. Those employees automatically receive the benefits of the PSPA variation.**

New employees

• New employees who are not members of either NZEI Te Riu Roa or E tū but whose work could fall within the respective coverage clause of the relevant collective agreement may be offered the promulgated IEA to access the applicable terms and conditions of the renegotiated collective agreements. The IEA is only valid if both the employer and the employee sign it and cannot be before 27 July 2023.
• Employers are required to inform new employees that a collective agreement exists and provide them with a copy of the agreement, as well as information regarding how to contact and join the relevant union. New employees who are not members of the union must be employed on an IEA based on the applicable collective agreement for the first 30 days of employment, after which they can choose to remain on the IEA or join the applicable union and become bound by the collective agreement.

In the event a board has concerns and/or questions regarding its employment arrangements with individual employees, the board should contact its NZSTA adviser or its own employment adviser.

Issued by Tim Tucker, Manager Employment Relations, Te Pou Ohumahi Mātauranga | Education Workforce
Ministry of Education, PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, New Zealand, Phone 04-463 8000,
email: [email protected]