Circular 2023/10 - Settlement of the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement

Date 22 August 2023 | Circular 2023/10 | Category Employment Relations

This circular is about the details of the recent settlement of the Secondary Teachers' Collective Agreement (STCA) 2022-2025 and information on applicable Individual Employment Agreements. 

This circular does not replace any other.

It is intended for Presiding Members of School Boards and Principals of all state and state-integrated secondary schools.

For more information contact the New Zealand School Trustees Association about human resource issues generally on 0800 782 435 or email eradvice@nzsta.org.nz. You can also email the Ministry of Education's Employment Relations Unit: employment.relations@education.govt.nz if you have questions about the settlement or the new collective agreement. All collective agreements for school staff can be found on the Ministry's website: www.education.govt.nz/collective-agreements/.

The actions needed are to: 

• Note the details of this settlement, including the new rates of pay that are provided for teachers working in positions covered by the new collective agreement.
• Offer the new Individual Employment Agreement (IEA) to existing employees who are not PPTA Te Wehengarua members but are working as secondary teachers covered by the new agreement.
• Note where new employees opt for an IEA, ensure they are offered the updated IEA. Ensure you are using the latest letter of offer of employment template for new employees, available from NZSTA.
• Note that a one-off gross payment of $5,000 will be made to all secondary school teachers employed as of 9 August 2023. This payment will be pro-rata for part-time teachers and short-term relievers.
• Note two separate one-off gross payments of $710 and $1,500 will be made to all secondary teachers who were members of PPTA Wehengarua as of 31 July 2023 and bound by the agreement as at 9 August 2023. The $710 payment is not pro-rata.
• Note Education Payroll will implement the lump sum payments by 5 September 2023 and the rest of the settlement by 18 October 2023.
• Note the changes to the Motor Vehicle Allowance rate, Sick Leave, and Māori Immersion Teaching Allowance (MITA).
• Note the introduction of Cultural Liaison roles on a trial basis, a Pacific Bilingual Immersion Teaching Allowance (PBITA), and Pastoral Care Time Allowances.

We will publish guidance about the application of new allowances prior to implementation.

Introduction 

The Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement 2022-25 was settled on 2 August 2023, and ratified by members of PPTA Te Wehengarua on 9 August 2023.

The term of the agreement is from 3 July 2022 to 2 July 2025.

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

The full collective agreement can be downloaded from the Ministry of Education’s website: www.education.govt.nz/collective-agreements/ and printed copies will be available from the New Zealand School Trustees Association (NZSTA).

Key features of the settlement

Remuneration

• The new Unified Base Salary Scale (UBSS) is outlined in the table at the end of this document. The new UBSS reflects an increase of 6% to all steps effective from 3 July 2023, a second increase of 4% effective from 3 April 2024, and a third increase of 3.9% effective from 2 December 2024, lifting the top step to $103,086.
• Note Step 1 and Step 2 of the UBSS have merged effective from 3 July 2023.
• All UBSS rates will increase by between $7,785 and $13,085, translating to an overall 14.5% rise across the term of the collective.
• Additional payments of:
  • $5,000 to all full-time teachers. Pro-rated for part-time and short-term relievers.
  • $1,500 to all PPTA Te Wehengarua member teachers. Pro-rated for part-time and short-term relievers.
  • A one-off gross payment of $710 will be made to PPTA Te Wehengarua members. This has been calculated to provide a net of tax amount broadly equivalent to the cost to renew a standard teaching practicing certificate during the term of the agreement.
• Additionally, from 3 July 2023, beginning teachers who progress from their provisional to full certificate during the remaining term of the collective agreement (to 2 December 2024) will be entitled to have their fees (currently $512.37) paid centrally.
• Increase to the maximum salary step for short-term relievers from UBSS Step 5 (new step as of 3 July 2023) to Step 6 from 28 January 2024. Further, the definition of the continuous period of employment for short-term relief teachers has changed from six weeks to three weeks.

Pro-rated non-contact time for part-time teachers

• From 28 January 2025, non-contact time for part-time teachers proportionate to that of a full-time teacher will be introduced.
• Additionally, from 28 January 2025, the 11% salary loading will cease to apply to part-time teachers.
• The parties will develop guidance ensuring no part-time teacher employed at the end of the 2024 school year, and who continues to be employed on 28 January 2025 school year, is disadvantaged due to the introduction of this provision.

Sick leave entitlements

• From start of the 2024 school year, changes to sick leave will provide significant increases that go over and above the Holidays Act.
• Additionally, changes will be made to sick leave to remove weekend deduction of sick leave and ensure compliance with the Holidays Act 2003 (the Holidays Act).
• No teacher will have less sick leave entitlement than on the previous system and most will have substantially more entitlement over their career.
• Conversion from the current entitlements is set out in Appendix G of the STCA.

Community Liaison role (Trial), MITA and PBITA 

Community Liaison roles

• A trial of 335 Community Liaison roles will occur between 28 January 2024 to 27 January 2026.
• Holders of the Community Liaison role will be allocated a time allowance of 0.04 FTE and a salary payment of $1,000 per annum.
  

MITA

• MITA will increase from 17 July 2023. Immersion Level 1 (currently at $8,000) will have increases of to up to $12,000 per annum and for Immersion Level 2 (currently at $4,000) will have increases to up to $8,000 per annum.

PBITA

• An introduction of PBITA will be available from 28 January 2024.

Provisions consistent with the Holidays Act

• The Ministry and the PPTA Te Wehengarua have agreed to update the STCA to be consistent with the Holidays Act.
• The agreed collective agreement wording: 
  • Confirms teachers are entitled to a period of annual leave as per the Holidays Act 2003, taken during a closedown, during which teachers cannot be asked to work or attend school.
  • Affirms that, teachers should have discretion over how and where they work, as they do now, including during term breaks.
  • Affirms that full-time teachers should be expected to work an average of 40 hours a week over the year unless the teacher has agreed to take on duties beyond those of a standard classroom teacher.

Other

• From 9 August 2023, the allowances for motor vehicles will increase from 62 cents per kilometre, to 83 cents per kilometre, and for motorcycles the increase is from 20 cents per kilometre to 31 cents per kilometre.
• Schools will have more flexibility with their use of Kāhui Ako within school teacher roles and allowances, as set out in clause 4.24.
• Learning Support Coordinators will be recognised in the STCA.

Individual Employment Agreement (IEA)

Teachers who are not members of PPTA Te Wehengarua, but whose work could fall within the respective coverage clause of the relevant collective agreement, may be offered the newly promulgated IEA to access the applicable terms and conditions of the renegotiated collective agreement.

On 14 August 2023, the Secretary for Education (the Secretary) promulgated new IEAs. Teachers who are not union members will need to sign a new IEA to access the new terms and conditions (including the increased pay rates). The IEA is only valid if both the employer and the employee sign it.

Secondary Teachers' Individual Employment Agreement(external link)

The Secretary has also promulgated a new IEA for teachers in relieving and/or fixed-term positions. To access the increased pay rates and the improved terms and conditions of the IEA, all teachers in relieving and/or fixed-term positions will need to sign a new IEA. This IEA is only valid if both the employer and the employee sign it, and cannot be dated before 14 August 2023.

Secondary Teachers' Long-Term Relieving Individual Employment Agreement(external link)

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.

Please note that if the Board and the employee do not sign the new IEA then the new provisions will not apply. Pay rates and other provisions will remain the same as provided for in the now expired 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, 1 The Terrace, Wellington 6011
PO Box 1666, Wellington 6140, New Zealand, Phone 04-463 8000,

Email employment.relations@education.govt.nz

Last reviewed: 22 August 2023 Has this been useful? Give us your feedback