The latest update on the pay delay debacle has come from Novopay themselves.Â
According to a website update, eligible union members covered by the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement, the Secondary Teachers’ Collective Agreement or the Area School Teachers’ Collective Agreement will receive their $1,500 lump sum payment (pro-rated for part time teachers and relievers) in Pay Period 9 (pay day 31 July).Â
Any teachers who have been on approved leave since June 13 will have to apply for the payment individually before January 28, 2020:
“To apply for the lump sum payment, once a teacher has returned from leave, the school can submit a NOVO31 form with “Lump Sum” in the subject heading.”
NSZTA’s President/Acting CEO, Lorraine Kerr has announced her thoughts on the update: “Based on the wording of the Terms of Settlement, the Crown has also committed on behalf of school boards the payment of the lump sum for board funded teachers who are union members. The lump sum is to be funded from the board’s operations grant. This payment needs to be made by Boards to all staff who are eligible according to the criteria set out for teachers paid under the school’s staffing entitlement.
“As Novopay have stated that the $1,500 will be made in the current pay cycle approvals should be finalised by Boards to complete the payments at the same time to board-funded staff who are union members.”
Hopefully the payments will come through on time. Teachers around the country have been negatively effected by the delays. One Marlborough teacher told us they were missing out on securing a deposit for their first home as a direct consequence of the slow payment deliveries.Â
“I opened my payslip and discovered that I had not received my one-off payment of $1500. I was counting on this money for my deposit. My bank will not allow me to place an offer of $450,000 due to the lack of $800, money that this government has promised but has not paid me.”
At the school I work at teachers Lump sum payments for all union members were paid, as promised by Novopay, on 31st July.
I am struggling to get my head around the idea that the NZSTA or any Principal would not have realised that teachers paid through Board funds, i.e. those employed by the Board above MOE allocation, the school would of course have to fund lump sums and any increases for those teachers – also through Board funds.
So what happens to those teachers who cannot afford to be union members due to student loan payments on top of mortgage payments. We have also lost pay to which carries a burden.