Francesca Rudkin: Parental sympathy is wearing thin for striking teachers

If you have teenagers at high school, there’s a good chance they’ll be home again for a couple of days next week.   While the primary school teachers accepted a new pay deal this week, the secondary school teachers voted “overwhelmingly” to reject the latest Government offer.   Negotiations have been ongoing for a year already and, from what I hear, the PPTA is determined to hang tough until their demands are met.   The result is further strike action. Depending on how negotiations pan-out, strikes could roll on for the next three weeks, meaning each year level from nine to thirteen will miss out on two days of classes a week. If you have a couple of kids at high school they could be home on different days.   I think we all agree that teachers are undervalued. I think we accept their argument for a pay increase matching inflation, their demands for better conditions so they can do their jobs more effectively and efficiently, and a deal that attracts and retains teachers.   We all appreciate how fundamental education is to our children and the future of our country; and in a perfect world the value of teachers would be reflected monetarily. But there’s never enough money to go around, is there? And we understand the job the Government has to do during an economically difficult time.    That said, parents are rightly over this stalemate and the use of their children as pawns. Parental sympathy for both sides is starting to wear thin, and that’s understandable.   As the election draws nearer we run the risk of it interfering further with negotiations. The Government will want to look like it values education and teachers and will want their votes. The PPTA could be concerned about a potential change in Government and more austere times ahead so are trying to get the best deal they can now.   Whatever the politics, it’s time to take the children out of it. Striking may be the only way teachers can get their point across, but trust me - we’ve got it, and parents have little more sympathy to give.   Sort it out, and get our children, especially those doing NCEA in a second term filled with internal assessments and tests, back in the classrooms where they belong. LISTEN ABOVESee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.