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Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement pay rate increase
The Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement 2023–25 (PTCA) allowed for three salary scale increases for trained teachers, effective from 3 July 2023, 3 April 2024 and 2 December 2024.
This is an image of the salary scale table taken from the collective agreement. It shows how steps 1 and 2 have merged into a new step 1 from 3 July 2023, and how the other steps have been moved.
To read more about the Primary Teachers’ Collective Agreement variation, please visit the Ministry’s website:
Changes to the Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement 2023–25 – Education in New Zealand
Primary Teachers' Collective Agreement – Education in New Zealand
In pay period 3, pay day 30 April, trained teachers who have signed the latest collective agreement or the corresponding individual employment agreement, will be paid the 3 April 2024 increase.
Backpay for the 3 July 2023 increase
Teachers will be eligible to receive backpay from the 3 July 2023 increase, if they were paid in a primary teaching job on or after 30 October 2023. If they were employed in more than one primary teaching job on 30 October, both jobs are in scope for the 3 July 2023 increase. This will also be paid on 30 April.
Changes to salary steps
A variation to the PTCA makes the primary teachers’ salary scale the same as the scale for area and secondary school teachers. To do this, steps 1 and 2 on the scale will be combined into a new step 1, and teachers on steps 3–11 will move to the step below i.e. step 3 will become step 2 etc. While the steps are changing, this will only change salaries for those teachers on step 1. The step changes will show on payslips. Please let your teachers know that this is due to steps 1 and 2 merging and that it does not change their salary, unless they are on step 1.
Equalisation allowance for teachers on step 2
Teachers who were on step 2 at any time from 3 July 2023, will receive an equalisation allowance to ensure they don’t have any drop in salary because of steps 1 and 2 merging. This will also be paid in pay period 3.
The equalisation allowance is eligible to employees while they are on step 2 or until 3 April 2024, whichever occurs first.
Holiday pay and termination pay recalculations
Holiday pay for teachers will be recalculated at the same time as salary changes. Any backpay that employees are eligible to will be paid in pay period 3, pay day 30 April.
Termination pay will be recalculated for employees who are eligible for this. This will be paid in pay period 4, pay day 14 May.
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