A mega-strike involving primary, intermediate and high school teachers is being discussed as the long-running pay negotiations with secondary teachers continues.
The Government has made three offers to the secondary school teachers union in the last nine months but none have been accepted.
The strike on April 3 could see primary and intermediate teachers joining their dissatisfied high school colleagues.
The PPTA wasted no time putting its protracted pay talks front and centre, using its annual issues and organising seminar' to put parents, students and the government on notice.
"This cannot wait because children are missing out, it cannot wait because 40 per cent fewer young New Zealanders are coming into secondary teaching and 20 per cent of our current workforce are 60 plus,” PPTA president Jack Boyle told 1 NEWS.
“We've been negotiating since August last year and it's absolutely really important it does get done,” one teacher told 1 NEWS.
“We're actually not doing it for ourselves we're doing it for our students.”
The education minister responding to the latest threat by reiterating the government's $500 million offer to secondary school teachers alone that'll see the majority of salaries rise by $10,000.
Chris Hipkins says he's trying to address teacher workloads but the PPTA maintains its not enough and members are running out of patience.
"If we haven't got an improved offer so that we can actually stay in classrooms which is where we want to be by April 3rd then we're going to have to take a public protest,” Mr Boyle said.
Today NZEI president Lynda Stuart wasn't ruling a combined strike out, saying it’s something members would have to vote on.
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