What? How? Why? Who? Where? When?

Disclaimer: Because NZEI members are drawn from a wide range of roles and sectors within education, it is not possible to cover every likely question. The answers given here are of a generic nature. You are encouraged to read your own Collective Agreement to find more detailed information.

Questions about unions

What is a union?

A union is like a team or club that you can join. Its main purpose is to get working people organised so they can look after and promote their collective interests.

Unions are one of the few ways that working people have a voice on the job and can influence what happens in our society. When people come together with a common goal in mind they are far more powerful than when they try to reach goals as individuals. When they act together they have a better chance of getting what they need at work and in their professional lives.

The benefits most working people receive tody are largely the result of what unions have gained in improvements to their members’ wages, benefit sand working conditions over the last 100 years.

Through “collective bargaining” and by lobbying governments with other members of the community, unions have been able to win legal support for minimum standards of pay, hours of work, overtime, holiday pay as well as health and safety regulations. This has resulted in minimum standards legislation in many areas of work. Unions are also involved in developing human rights gains and legislations.

The following standards have become the basic minimum rights within many workplaces and are now required by law:

• minimum wage laws
• hours of work (daily and weekly)
• overtime pay
• holiday pay
• basic health and safety rules
• workers’ compensation
• basic anti-discriminatory laws in human rights legislation
• severance pay
• unemployment benefits
• maternity leave and paid parental leave
• superannuation.

What do unions do?

Unions are about workers coming together to work collectively to deal with their issues at work – including bargaining collective employment agreements and problem solving and working on issues of concern to workers across industry and in society in general.

Aren’t unions for people who just can’t look after themselves?

Unions are for people who want to work together to sort out their workplace and conditions of work. While union members feel able to “look after themselves” , they enjoy the benefits and gains of working together.

There’s plenty of independent research and analysis that shows a unionised workforce can achieve much more than non-union jobs. For example, collective agreements generally provide for much higher wages and conditions than individual agreements.

What can unions do for me?

The union is there to help you get a fair deal at work – as well as making sure you have a voice that can be heard beyond your workplace. As a union member you’ll be involved in the process of winning a collective agreement for you and your colleagues – as well as belong to an organisation that can assist you to deal with both professional and employment issues in your workplace.

Questions about membership of NZEI

What does it cost to belong to NZEI Te Riu Roa?

The subscription fee is set each year by representatives at NZEI's Annual Meeting. Currently if you earn less than $26,501 you pay 1.05% of your salary. If you earn $26,501 or more, you pay $485 per annum. Join here

Where do my NZEI subs go?

Look at a piechart which gives an overview of how your sub is spent.

Who can belong to NZEI Te Riu Roa?

If you're a

• Primary Teacher (including deputy and assistant principals and other unit holders)
• Primary Principal
• Support staff in schools (teacher aide, librarian, administrator, sports coordinator, science technician, IT co-ordinator, school nurse etc)
• Kindergarten Teacher, Head Teacher or Senior Teacher
• Education Support Worker
• Behaviour Support Worker
• Communications Support Worker
• Kaiarahi i Te Reo
• Assistant to Teachers of Students with Severe Disabilities
• Special Education Assistants
• Early Childhood Teacher
• Early Childhood Support Staff
• Intermediate School Teacher
• Area School Teacher
• Teacher teaching Form 1 or 2 (Years 7 & 8) in a Form 1-7 school

...then you can join NZEI.

Full details of jobs covered by NZEI can be found in your sector's Collective Agreements.

Questions about pay

How do I find out if I am being paid correctly?

Find the Collective Agreement for the sector in which you work on this website. Click on "Pay and Conditions" and download your agreement. Go to its renumeration section. This will give detailed information regarding your rates of pay.

Will I be paid right through the holidays?

This will depend on whether you are working in a permanent position or as a long term or short term reliever. All permanent and long term relievers receive pay over the holiday. Holiday pay for short term relievers is built in to their fortnightly pay so they do not continue to be paid after they have received their final pay for the term.

I have a problem with my pay. Whom do I speak to to sort it out?

Firstly speak to the administrative staff person (or your employer in an Early Childhood workplace) responsible for pay matters in your workplace. Pay authorities do not like getting calls from individual employees. If your admin person can’t get it sorted, then contact the NZEI field staff member responsible for the branch area in which you work.

What are my rights as a primary reliever?

Read about relievers' rights here

What are increments and how do they affect my pay?

An increment in pay occurs on the anniversary of service when an employee shall be entitled to progress to the next step in the salary scale until they reach the maximum level for their qualification or grade. Refer to your collective agreement for specific criteria for progression.

Questions about leave

Each collective agreement has detailed sections covering conditions relating to leave and holidays. Please refer to the Collective Agreement for the sector you are or will be working in.

Parental Leave: I am having or adopting a baby. What are my entitlements?

Workers in all sectors of NZEI come under the provisions of the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act 1987. The following sector group employees also have a Maternity Grant provision in their Collective Agreement available to them – check your agreement for details:

• Primary Teachers, Deputy Principals, Assistant Principals and other Unit Holders
• Primary Principals
• Kindergarten Teachers, Head Teachers and Senior Teachers
• Kaiarahi I Te Reo, Assistants to Teachers of Students with Severe Disabilities and Special Education Assistants.

How do I apply for parental leave and what am I entitled to?

All applications for parental leave must be made in writing to the employer. All eligibile employees are entitled to the following provisions under the Parental Leave and Employment Protection Act:

• 14 weeks maternity leave
• 10 days special leave
• 2 weeks paternity leave
• Up to 52 weeks extended leave.

Recent amendments to the legislation now make 13 weeks parental leave payments available. This is a government funded entitlement and is the less of either reimbursement of the employee’s ordinary weekly wage of $374.60. At the time of application for parental leave, the employer is required to provide information about parental leave payments.

Parental leave payments may be applied for any time during the period of parental leave. The payment period however will always be the first 13 weeks of the leave period. Employees cannot return to work, in any form, during the time they are receiving parental leave payments. That includes relieving, casual work or even working from home.

Applicants for parental leave must provide a medical certificate confirming pregnancy, on the case of adoption, provide relevant papers. There are some variances in additional provisions between the collective agreements and members should always check with field staff.

Bereavement/Tangihanga Leave: Am I entitled to leave with pay to attend a funeral?

Yes, the Holidays Act 2003 provides for 3 days paid bereavement leave for a close relative, or one day, at the discretion of the employer, for other bereavements. There is provision for leave with pay in all Collective Agreements for an employee to discharge any obligations and/or to pay respects to a deceased person with who the employee has had a close association. Check your specific Collective Agreement for details.

Sick Leave: Am I entitled to sick leave?

Yes, the Holidays Act provides a minimum entitlement of five days per year. In addition, there is provision for sick leave in all Collective Agreements. Please check your specific Collective Agreement for details.

How do I find out how much leave I have owing?

Firstly speak to the administrative staff person (or employer if you are in an early childhood centre) responsible for pay matters in your workplace. Pay authorities do not like getting enquiries from individual employees. If the admin person can’t help, then contact the NZEI field officer responsible for the branch area in which you work.

Can I use my sick leave if a member of my household is ill?

Yes, most Collective Agreements allow for this. Again, refer to your sector’s Collective Agreement for details.