1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:02,240 Speaker 1: Do the secondary teachers have a leg to stand on. 2 00:00:02,320 --> 00:00:04,440 Speaker 1: That's the question the union are telling their members they 3 00:00:04,480 --> 00:00:07,440 Speaker 1: should vote down the government's new payoffer. This is after 4 00:00:07,480 --> 00:00:11,000 Speaker 1: the Ministry doubled the previous one two point five percent 5 00:00:11,039 --> 00:00:13,560 Speaker 1: in the first year two percent in the next Lighton 6 00:00:13,600 --> 00:00:16,200 Speaker 1: Watson Senior Lecture of Mass and Stats at Canterbury Unions 7 00:00:16,239 --> 00:00:17,639 Speaker 1: with me this morning, light and good. 8 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:20,160 Speaker 2: Morning, good morning worry, thanks for having me on. 9 00:00:20,400 --> 00:00:22,159 Speaker 1: So you don't think this is enough? You've done a 10 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,000 Speaker 1: comparison to the minimum wage as a benchmark. What is 11 00:00:25,040 --> 00:00:25,600 Speaker 1: the difference? 12 00:00:27,120 --> 00:00:30,920 Speaker 2: So teacher salaries have kind of plummeted relative to the 13 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:33,839 Speaker 2: minimum wage and I guess, maybe more importantly to the 14 00:00:33,840 --> 00:00:37,200 Speaker 2: median wage over the past twenty five years. In nineteen 15 00:00:37,280 --> 00:00:41,080 Speaker 2: ninety nine, beginning teachers paid thirty three thousand dollars and 16 00:00:41,479 --> 00:00:44,720 Speaker 2: nowadays they're paid sixty four thousand dollars, which seems like 17 00:00:44,840 --> 00:00:49,360 Speaker 2: a great increase. But if a beginning teachers paid the 18 00:00:49,400 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 2: same amount now as they were in nineteen ninety nine 19 00:00:52,080 --> 00:00:54,680 Speaker 2: relative to the minimum wage, that the earning of one 20 00:00:54,760 --> 00:00:57,560 Speaker 2: hundred thousand dollars, and if they're paid the same as 21 00:00:57,600 --> 00:00:59,360 Speaker 2: they were relative to the median wage, so I could 22 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,040 Speaker 2: have kept up with need wage inflation, then they're beginning 23 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 2: paid eighty one thousand dollars or got seventeen thousand dollars 24 00:01:05,080 --> 00:01:06,319 Speaker 2: more than they can't be paid. 25 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:08,319 Speaker 1: Okay, so you reckon they should be getting at least 26 00:01:08,360 --> 00:01:11,080 Speaker 1: seventeen grand more than they're currently being paid. Would this 27 00:01:11,240 --> 00:01:12,200 Speaker 1: new offer not do that? 28 00:01:14,360 --> 00:01:17,319 Speaker 2: This new offer is an increase of two point five 29 00:01:17,400 --> 00:01:19,560 Speaker 2: to two point seventy five percent, depending on where they 30 00:01:19,640 --> 00:01:24,279 Speaker 2: sit on the salary scale, which equates to about thirteen 31 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,880 Speaker 2: hundred or two thousand, five hundred dollars depending off the 32 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 2: bottom of the top of the salary scale. And over 33 00:01:29,680 --> 00:01:32,480 Speaker 2: the last twenty five years they decreased relative to the 34 00:01:32,520 --> 00:01:35,399 Speaker 2: meeting wage suffered. If teacher salaries had kept out with 35 00:01:35,400 --> 00:01:38,039 Speaker 2: the average wage inflation, then they should be earning seventeen 36 00:01:38,080 --> 00:01:41,319 Speaker 2: thousand dollars. And I'm not really making a judgment now, 37 00:01:41,319 --> 00:01:43,320 Speaker 2: I'm just giving you the numbers that seventeen thousand dollars 38 00:01:43,360 --> 00:01:44,559 Speaker 2: is a lot more than thirteen hundred. 39 00:01:44,640 --> 00:01:49,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, understand So with the minimum wage comparison, has everybody 40 00:01:49,640 --> 00:01:52,600 Speaker 1: not in everyone who's working right now? Have they not? 41 00:01:52,800 --> 00:01:54,680 Speaker 1: Also because the minimum wage is shot up, I mean 42 00:01:54,720 --> 00:01:56,400 Speaker 1: we're going up twenty two percent in the last two 43 00:01:56,440 --> 00:01:58,600 Speaker 1: in the last three years alone of the labor government. 44 00:01:59,240 --> 00:02:02,760 Speaker 1: Has everyone not fallen behind and in relative terms to 45 00:02:02,800 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: the minimum wage because it's been ramped up so rapidly. 46 00:02:06,800 --> 00:02:10,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, so all about twenty five years, minimum wagees increased 47 00:02:10,480 --> 00:02:13,720 Speaker 2: by a factor of three, whereas teacher salaries have only 48 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,600 Speaker 2: increased by a factor of two. But I guess the 49 00:02:15,680 --> 00:02:18,440 Speaker 2: difference is the medium wages increased by factor of two 50 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:20,639 Speaker 2: point five. And so that's really that. You know, you 51 00:02:20,680 --> 00:02:23,280 Speaker 2: can make arguments about the minimum wage should be higher 52 00:02:23,320 --> 00:02:25,760 Speaker 2: than it was of seven dollars twenty five years ago, 53 00:02:26,400 --> 00:02:28,240 Speaker 2: and I don't think people are going to argue with that. 54 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 2: But I think there's the difference between teacher salaries in 55 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,240 Speaker 2: what the average worker the average wage inflation has been 56 00:02:35,360 --> 00:02:36,760 Speaker 2: and teacher salaries have not kept up. 57 00:02:36,880 --> 00:02:38,680 Speaker 1: What about other comparable industries. 58 00:02:40,639 --> 00:02:43,880 Speaker 2: So with this work looking at teacher salaries, I also 59 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:46,480 Speaker 2: looked at a bunch of kind of healthcare professions and 60 00:02:46,520 --> 00:02:51,760 Speaker 2: there's been similar, similar kind of erosion of income across 61 00:02:52,240 --> 00:02:54,760 Speaker 2: a range of other healthcare professions as well as education. 62 00:02:55,000 --> 00:02:59,440 Speaker 1: It's it's always a state funded organization, state funded industries 63 00:02:59,440 --> 00:03:00,760 Speaker 1: that seem to have this problem is that? 64 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:05,480 Speaker 2: Yeah, yeah, and you know, I don't leave the government 65 00:03:05,480 --> 00:03:07,640 Speaker 2: from making decisions about where to put their money. 66 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,079 Speaker 1: Yeah, maybe we should privatize everything. Then that might keep up. 67 00:03:13,040 --> 00:03:15,000 Speaker 2: I think there might be some other issues associated with 68 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:15,920 Speaker 2: some privatization. 69 00:03:16,880 --> 00:03:19,440 Speaker 1: Laton, appreciate your time this morning, Layton Watson Senior Lecture 70 00:03:19,440 --> 00:03:21,000 Speaker 1: of Mass and Stats, Canterbury Unit. 71 00:03:21,919 --> 00:03:24,880 Speaker 2: For more from early edition with Ryan Bridge, Listen live 72 00:03:25,000 --> 00:03:28,040 Speaker 2: to news Talks. It'd be from five am weekdays, or 73 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:30,000 Speaker 2: follow the podcast on iHeartRadio.