About 40,000 primary school teachers, principals, and support staff  will strike on October 23rd to urge the Government to address students and educators’ issues in education.

The decision comes amid rolling strikes for secondary school teachers this week.

The vote for industrial action follows the union’s rejection of an offer of a pay rise between 2.7 – 4.6 percent.

Teacher Liam Rutherford, one of the NZEI Te Riu Roa primary teacher negotiation team leads, says the Government has made collective agreement offers that fail to match cost of living increases.

“The offers also ignore educators and children’s need for more support in the classroom and for Te Tiriti and te reo Māori.”, he said.

Principal negotiation team leader Martyn Weatherill says he and his colleagues love their jobs and would rather spend 23 October at school, but they would carry out a one-day strike to demand investment in education.

Support staff negotiation team leader Ally Kingi said: “The Government has spent huge sums on tax cuts for landlords, tax cuts for tobacco companies and huge increases in public sector board directors’ fees – now they need to invest in education.”