In an interview with PPTA president Chris Abercrombie on Wednesday morning Ryan Bridge asked if the union was political from 32:40.
Abercrombie admitted it was and said, it was like Federated Farmers.
Federated Farmers is sometimes political but Feds isn’t partisan and the teacher union is which is a very important difference between them.
That was clearly shown when the government was trying to negotiate with the PPTA in early October, the number one item on their agenda for a meeting with Education Minister Erica Stanford was Palestine.
We learned of another example in an interview with Mike Hosking yesterday, Public Services Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said (at 02:48) one problem in negotiations with education unions was: . ..
That was clearly shown when the government was trying to negotiate with the PPTA in early October, the number one item on their agenda for a meeting with Education Minister Erica Stanford was Palestine.
We learned of another example in an interview with Mike Hosking yesterday, Public Services Commissioner Sir Brian Roche said (at 02:48) one problem in negotiations with education unions was: . ..
….extraneous other information coming to the party such as our approach to the Treaty o Waitangi that is not critical to terms and conditions….
The Commissioner didn’t say which union it was but Matua Kahurangi illustrates what he calls the PPTA’s political circus.
The Post Primary Teachers’ Association (PPTA) used to represent educators. Today, it’s a political pressure group masquerading as a union, and its latest stunt confirms just how far it’s drifted from neutrality.
The PPTA is now selling Toitū Te Tiriti merchandise through its website – complete with slogans, banners, and talking points straight from political activism. This isn’t about education. It’s about ideology. When a union openly campaigns against government policy and pushes one side of a divisive constitutional debate, it abandons its duty to represent all teachers, regardless of their political beliefs. . .
These aren’t just examples of the union politics, they’re examples of partisan politics and show that the union is letting members down by wasting time on extraneous partisan issues when they should be negotiating for better pay and conditions for the members.
When I was a first at university and student union membership was compulsory there was a big debate on whether or not the university union should be sending money to help striking miners.
Those against the move won by pointing out that students would have a wide range of political views and we weren’t paying fees to support those of the union.
Members of the education unions will have a similarly wide range of political views and the union is not representing all of them when it is being partisan.
They’re letting down their members and the pupils who have been missing school because of strikes.
Ele Ludemann is a North Otago farmer and journalist, who blogs HERE - where this article was sourced.
3 comments:
Among the many members of the educators union that I come in contact with there is far from a wide range of political views. Their unions are very representative of the vast majority.
I just checked out the PPTA Constitution. Note the following:
>"The objects of the Association shall be:
(a) To advance the cause of education generally and of all phases of secondary and technical education in particular.
(b) To uphold and maintain the just claims of its members individually and collectively.
(c) To affirm and advance Te Tiriti O Waitangi (The Treaty of Waitangi) as embodied in the First Schedule of these rules."
Nothing in there about being an organisation that promotes geopolitical causes.
To quote some idiots in the legal perfeshun, you have to look beyond the words - yes I agree that is bollocks.
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