Historic pay equity settlement imminent for teacher aides - Hipkins

The Ministry of Education and NZEI Te Riu Roa have agreed to settle the pay equity claim for teacher aides, Education Minister Chris Hipkins announced today.

This will see more than 22,000 teacher aides, mostly women, being valued and paid fairly for the work they do.

"Teacher aides are frontline workers who work closely with some of our most vulnerable children. They play an important role in our schools as we respond to the challenges of COVID-19 and get the country back on its feet," Chris Hipkins said.

"The teacher aide pay equity claim was lodged in 2016, and I’m pleased that an agreement has now been reached. This is a milestone for teacher aides and a significant step towards addressing pay equity for women in the education sector.

The new rates will range from $21.20 to $34.68 per hour, and be effective from 12 February 2020.

"The Coalition Government recognises the vital role teacher aides play in schools and we have been focused on making sure that we do a good job for them.

"Details of the settlement will be widely communicated to all teacher aides before NZEI members vote on it. The settlement, if accepted, will acknowledge the value of the skills, responsibilities and demands of teacher aide work," Chris Hipkins said.

The settlement costs $348 million over the next five years.

Schools will receive the additional funds in October 2020 and teacher aides will receive the new pay equity rates by November, backdated to 12 February 2020.