School support staff are beginning a week of action to vent frustrations over low pay.
New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) members are demanding the Government moves faster to resolve the situation.
Auckland teacher aide Ally Kemplen says support staff go above and beyond every day.
"People are having to use feeding ports; people having to do quite complicated medical support for children during the day, just as an everyday thing; toileting; the violence that happens with children with challenging behaviours."
Public demonstrations and open letters to policymakers are planned.
Kemplen says 90 percent of teacher aides earn less than the living wage - which is currently set at $21.15 an hour, according to the official Living Wage Aotearoa campaign. That's the amount necessary "to provide workers and their families with the basic necessities of life [and] live with dignity and to participate as active citizens in society".
- Teachers strike extension 'hugely disappointing' - Winston Peters
- Primary teachers to strike after rejecting pay offer
- 'Patient' teachers ready to fight for better pay
Kemplen says their wages are not fair.
"This is about valuing what has traditionally been women's work - talking about us being nurturers and we just love doing it, and we get a bit of pocket money. Well, that's all changed now - but unfortunately, the funding hasn't...
"All of us have been hurt at some point in our jobs, all of us have been sworn at and kicked and spat at; but we continue to love those children and support those children in 100 ways every day."
- The Warehouse workers win living wage fight
- Dunedin City Council to pay living wage
- Government to raise minimum wage by $1.20
Around 18,000 teacher aides are members of NZEI, which also represents primary school teachers.
Newshub.
