1 00:00:00,120 --> 00:00:02,759 Speaker 1: Ppta's had an enormous change of heart on charter schools. 2 00:00:02,800 --> 00:00:04,640 Speaker 1: By the looks of things, the union has decided it 3 00:00:04,760 --> 00:00:09,040 Speaker 1: will now cover teachers who work for these essentially independent schools, 4 00:00:09,080 --> 00:00:11,719 Speaker 1: and this is a massive turnaround from railing hard against 5 00:00:11,760 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: the establishment of the schools in the first place. Ppta's 6 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:15,920 Speaker 1: president Chris Abercrombie is with us. 7 00:00:15,960 --> 00:00:17,880 Speaker 2: Hey, Chris, good, good morning. 8 00:00:17,960 --> 00:00:19,599 Speaker 1: This has got to be one of the biggest turnarounds 9 00:00:19,640 --> 00:00:21,479 Speaker 1: in the history of the union, right. 10 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:23,880 Speaker 2: Oh, I wouldn't go that far at all. I'd just 11 00:00:23,920 --> 00:00:26,440 Speaker 2: say this is responding to the situation we're in and 12 00:00:26,480 --> 00:00:27,520 Speaker 2: supporting our members. 13 00:00:27,880 --> 00:00:29,600 Speaker 1: And how many of your members wanted this? 14 00:00:30,880 --> 00:00:33,199 Speaker 2: Oh well, our our annual conference pastor so as a 15 00:00:33,200 --> 00:00:36,559 Speaker 2: representative of all our regions in New Zealand, more than 16 00:00:36,600 --> 00:00:39,440 Speaker 2: fifty percent? Yes? Absolutely? 17 00:00:39,840 --> 00:00:41,400 Speaker 1: Do you know how much more than fifty percent? 18 00:00:42,200 --> 00:00:43,920 Speaker 2: No, I don't know how much more than fifty percent. 19 00:00:44,280 --> 00:00:46,239 Speaker 1: This is about them wanting the better pay that's on 20 00:00:46,280 --> 00:00:47,560 Speaker 1: offer at the charter schools own. 21 00:00:48,400 --> 00:00:50,839 Speaker 2: No. No, this is about the forced conversion of schools 22 00:00:50,840 --> 00:00:52,880 Speaker 2: against their will and our members not having a decision 23 00:00:52,880 --> 00:00:54,520 Speaker 2: in it. So we need to be there to protect them. 24 00:00:54,920 --> 00:00:57,840 Speaker 1: But how I mean we're not. It's not going to 25 00:00:57,840 --> 00:00:59,840 Speaker 1: be more than fifty percent teachers who are affected by this. 26 00:01:00,040 --> 00:01:02,160 Speaker 1: Why are more than fifty percent of teachers worried about it? 27 00:01:02,800 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 2: Well, the minister himself said he wanted eighty percent of 28 00:01:04,959 --> 00:01:06,920 Speaker 2: secondary schools to be charter schools, so it's going to 29 00:01:06,920 --> 00:01:08,759 Speaker 2: be a lot more than that. So we we're here 30 00:01:08,760 --> 00:01:12,160 Speaker 2: to protect our members. We absolutely oppose charter schools, but 31 00:01:12,360 --> 00:01:14,520 Speaker 2: it's the forced conversion of these schools on the table. 32 00:01:14,560 --> 00:01:16,119 Speaker 2: We need to be there to protect our members. 33 00:01:16,160 --> 00:01:18,560 Speaker 1: So are you going to continue to lobby against charter schools? 34 00:01:20,120 --> 00:01:22,520 Speaker 2: We want all we want any school charter school that's 35 00:01:22,560 --> 00:01:25,320 Speaker 2: created to be integrated back into the state system, and 36 00:01:25,400 --> 00:01:27,280 Speaker 2: we need to be needed to be there with our 37 00:01:27,280 --> 00:01:28,280 Speaker 2: members to support them. 38 00:01:28,560 --> 00:01:30,280 Speaker 1: Are you open to changing your mind? Like if your 39 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:32,600 Speaker 1: members are working for charter schools and like, actually, Christ 40 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:35,440 Speaker 1: this is an awesome situation. I love it, and enough 41 00:01:35,480 --> 00:01:37,880 Speaker 1: of them say that to you, Will you change your mind? 42 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:39,920 Speaker 2: Well, we'll always listen to the membership and we'll see 43 00:01:39,959 --> 00:01:42,800 Speaker 2: what happens. But as a stands, we don't think charter 44 00:01:42,800 --> 00:01:44,680 Speaker 2: schools are needed. We don't need them in New Zealand. 45 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:47,280 Speaker 2: They have got a record of failure, a record of 46 00:01:49,520 --> 00:01:51,840 Speaker 2: lack of transparency, all of these issues. But we need 47 00:01:51,880 --> 00:01:54,880 Speaker 2: to be there to support our members to decide and 48 00:01:54,880 --> 00:01:56,520 Speaker 2: you make these decisions, and you know we're not going 49 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:59,080 Speaker 2: to let the Associate Ministry of Education decide who can 50 00:01:59,120 --> 00:01:59,640 Speaker 2: be our member. 51 00:02:00,120 --> 00:02:01,960 Speaker 1: Chris, I would have thought that you guys should be 52 00:02:01,960 --> 00:02:04,400 Speaker 1: stoked about this because this creates more work for you, 53 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:07,280 Speaker 1: doesn't it. I mean like this actually could potentially strengthen 54 00:02:07,320 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 1: the union because no longer is there this one collective agreement, 55 00:02:10,400 --> 00:02:12,720 Speaker 1: you might be rolling out multiple ones that you have 56 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:13,760 Speaker 1: to go out and negotiate. 57 00:02:13,800 --> 00:02:16,520 Speaker 2: Now, well, that could potentially happen. We will have to 58 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:18,880 Speaker 2: have site based agreements, but teachers will be the only 59 00:02:19,040 --> 00:02:21,120 Speaker 2: workers in New Zealand that don't have a right to 60 00:02:21,160 --> 00:02:24,680 Speaker 2: a multi employment collective agreement. Again under the Education Social 61 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:28,640 Speaker 2: Education Minister's Law, these restrictions on us and we're busy 62 00:02:28,680 --> 00:02:29,600 Speaker 2: fighting back against it. 63 00:02:29,720 --> 00:02:31,560 Speaker 1: Good stuff, Chris, thanks very much for your time. That's 64 00:02:31,600 --> 00:02:33,400 Speaker 1: Chris Abercrombie, the PBTA president. 65 00:02:34,040 --> 00:02:36,920 Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to 66 00:02:37,040 --> 00:02:40,120 Speaker 2: news talks that'd be from six am weekdays, or follow 67 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,720 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.