Nzei Collective Agreement Sick Leave

The New Zealand Education Institute (NZEI) is a union representing the interests of primary and secondary school educators in New Zealand. One of the most important topics for NZEI is the negotiation of collective agreements, which set the terms and conditions of employment for thousands of teachers and support staff across the country.

One of the key provisions of any collective agreement is sick leave. Sick leave allows employees to take time off work when they are ill or injured, without losing pay or risking their job security. For NZEI members, sick leave is an especially important issue as educators often work in environments where they are exposed to infectious diseases and other health risks.

In recent years, the NZEI has been actively negotiating for better sick leave provisions in collective agreements. One of the most significant achievements in this regard came in late 2019, when the union secured a new collective agreement for primary teachers and principals that included a substantial increase in sick leave entitlements.

Under the new agreement, teachers and principals are entitled to an additional five sick leave days per year, bringing their total entitlement to 15 days per year. This is a significant improvement over the previous entitlement of 10 days per year, which had been in place for several decades.

The new agreement also includes other improvements to sick leave provisions, including the ability to use sick leave for the care of family members, and the ability to use sick leave for medical appointments that cannot be scheduled outside of work hours.

These improvements to sick leave provisions are a significant win for NZEI members, who can now take time off work when they are unwell or caring for sick family members, without having to worry about losing pay or their job security. They are also a step towards recognizing the important and often challenging work that educators do, and the need for fair and adequate employment conditions to support their work.

Overall, the new NZEI collective agreement on sick leave is an important example of how unions can negotiate for better working conditions for their members, and why sick leave is such a crucial issue for employees across many industries. By securing better sick leave provisions, NZEI members can feel more secure in their jobs and better able to care for themselves and their families, which ultimately benefits the quality of education in New Zealand.