Latest / Early Edition with Ryan Bridge / Chris Abercrombie: PPTA President says the striking teachers are more than happy to talk to govt.

Transcript

Chris Abercrombie: PPTA President says the striking teachers are more than happy to talk to govt. · Early Edition with Ryan Bridge

• 0:00
  Speaker 1: So they reckon one hundred thousand teachers, nurses, dentists, medical staff,
• 0:03
  Speaker 1: you name it, walking off the job today nationwide, this
• 0:05
  Speaker 1: is the mega strike. Unions have called off the rallies
• 0:07
  Speaker 1: in Wellington, christ Church into Needin. This is because of
• 0:10
  Speaker 1: the weather. Chris Abercrombie's PPTA president with me this morning,
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: Good morning.
• 0:14
  Speaker 2: Good morning.
• 0:15
  Speaker 1: Is this one hundred thousand number accurate?
• 0:18
  Speaker 2: As accurate as it can be? You know, we think
• 0:22
  Speaker 2: that's about right.
• 0:23
  Speaker 1: Have you heard from the government or the Public Service
• 0:25
  Speaker 1: Commission lately?
• 0:27
  Speaker 2: No, we haven't known.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Have you tried to reach out to them.
• 0:31
  Speaker 2: We've made it very clear that we're more than happy
• 0:34
  Speaker 2: to talk about anything they want to talk about.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: Have you messaged them, have you called them? Anything like that?
• 0:40
  Speaker 2: There's been some communication between our bargaining teams.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: When is that?
• 0:46
  Speaker 2: Oh, there's some various emails have gone back and forth
• 0:49
  Speaker 2: over the last few days.
• 0:50
  Speaker 1: Okay, but nothing you're no one's sitting down.
• 0:54
  Speaker 2: No, no one's sitting down.
• 0:55
  Speaker 1: Note, and you didn't present the latest off of the teachers.
• 0:58
  Speaker 2: What were The teachers did get to see it and
• 1:00
  Speaker 2: they gave very good feedback on it. And basically there
• 1:04
  Speaker 2: was out biggest feedback was they found disrespected by it.
• 1:07
  Speaker 1: So you did present the offer formally to teachers.
• 1:11
  Speaker 2: Not formally, but they did, they did get the offer,
• 1:14
  Speaker 2: they did see it, and they did give feedback, thousands
• 1:16
  Speaker 2: and thousands of teacher to go feedback on it.
• 1:17
  Speaker 1: So you've got how many members.
• 1:19
  Speaker 2: You got twenty one thousand.
• 1:21
  Speaker 1: And how many gave feedback?
• 1:24
  Speaker 2: Oh, six seven thousand, I think.
• 1:26
  Speaker 1: Okay, So I mean not not a huge amount, is it?
• 1:30
  Speaker 2: No, But but it was very clear that we're people
• 1:34
  Speaker 2: south on it.
• 1:34
  Speaker 1: You guys are part of the CTU. The CTU is
• 1:36
  Speaker 1: in bed with labor. They've got voting powers and.
• 1:39
  Speaker 2: Hard we're not we're not doing this well, no, no.
• 1:42
  Speaker 1: I'm asking the question. Do you think you are a
• 1:45
  Speaker 1: political organization?
• 1:47
  Speaker 2: Are you? Are you asking of unions that are political organizations? Yes, yes,
• 1:53
  Speaker 2: unions are political organizations, just like Federated Farmers as a
• 1:56
  Speaker 2: political organization, but.
• 1:58
  Speaker 1: Not formally tied to the National Party.
• 2:02
  Speaker 2: I'm not formally tied to the Labor Party. PvdA is
• 2:04
  Speaker 2: not formally tied.
• 2:05
  Speaker 1: No, but you're part of the set, you know, yes, Okay,
• 2:10
  Speaker 1: So does that not make you buy association type or is.
• 2:13
  Speaker 2: This Well, wouldn't that make freederated farmers by association ties.
• 2:17
  Speaker 1: Well, they don't have it. They don't decide on who's
• 2:19
  Speaker 1: going to be the next national leader, you know what
• 2:21
  Speaker 1: I mean.
• 2:22
  Speaker 2: Well, that's a stretch.
• 2:24
  Speaker 1: Well that's not I mean, that's part of the labor rules,
• 2:27
  Speaker 1: isn't it. Can you see why? I guess can you
• 2:30
  Speaker 1: see why? There's an argument that you would be called
• 2:33
  Speaker 1: that these strikes would be called politically politically motivated.
• 2:37
  Speaker 2: Well, the employers, the governments, of course it would be
• 2:40
  Speaker 2: politically motivated. They make up the curriculum, they make up
• 2:44
  Speaker 2: in CA, they make up their pay rates, they do everything,
• 2:47
  Speaker 2: the government that affixed teachers, So of course it's political.
• 2:50
  Speaker 1: Have you had, Chris, if you guys had any correspondence
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: with any parties, you know, in organizing the strike anything
• 2:56
  Speaker 1: like that.
• 2:57
  Speaker 2: No, not, not, not that I'm aware of.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: Okay, And is when's the next meeting that you know
• 3:02
  Speaker 1: of it scheduled for? And will this be the last
• 3:06
  Speaker 1: strike of the year? I know you've got another couple
• 3:08
  Speaker 1: sort of smaller ones happening, but is this the last
• 3:11
  Speaker 1: action for the year or what.
• 3:14
  Speaker 2: Our next formal meeting so the dates are locked in,
• 3:17
  Speaker 2: is November the eleventh. That's the date the ministry has
• 3:19
  Speaker 2: agreed to, and hopefully we will have more before that that.
• 3:24
  Speaker 2: We do have a half day strike on November the fifth,
• 3:27
  Speaker 2: but we'd loved to be able to call that off
• 3:29
  Speaker 2: if we don't need it.
• 3:30
  Speaker 1: All right, Chris, appreciate your time this morning. Thank you
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: for being with me. That is Chris Abercrombie, who's the
• 3:35
  Speaker 1: PPHA president.
• 3:37
  Speaker 2: For more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live
• 3:40
  Speaker 2: to news talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or
• 3:43
  Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.