Photo: 123RF
Secondary principals have settled their collective agreement negotiations.
The deal announced by the Secondary Principals Association union and the Post Primary Teachers Association on Wednesday included pay rises of 2.5 percent from Friday this week and 2.1 percent in December next year.
It also provided a $15,000 allowance for work on looming curriculum changes and a $5000 allowance for principals who mentored new principals.
SPANZ union president Scott Haines said the government had agreed to maintain broad comparability between principal and teacher pay during the term of the agreement.
He said it also retained personal grievance rights for members earning more $180,000 - something the union sought because of proposed to employment law.
"Securing this protection was the most challenging aspect of these negotiations-and one of our most important achievements," Haines said.
PPTA Secondary Principals Council chair Kate Gainsford said principals had a challenging year with the government's work programme.
"The settlement, alongside the secondary teachers' settlement, will provide some certainty to schools as they look to focus in the year ahead on the significant work required to deliver new curriculum, prepare for further curriculum changes, and respond to whatever secondary school qualifications changes are confirmed," she said.
"Resources for the new Education and Maths Year 9 and 10 curricula will not be ready until mid-January, so the government is not setting itself off on the right foot. It really is left up to principals and teachers to do their best for rangatahi while continuing to deliver a high quality NCEA programme."
The settlement followed last week's settlement of the secondary teachers collective agreement, which also provided pay rises of 2.5 and 2.1 percent.
Primary school teachers and some primary school principals have yet to settle their collective agreements.
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