By Lee Stace. Video by Carl Suurmond.

PRINCE Edward got more than one performance when he visited the Whitireia Performing Arts Centre in Wellington yesterday – one highly orchestrated, the other impromptu.

As he entered the Centre’s Vivian St building to watch a show by students, he couldn’t help but notice a bunch of the polytech’s tutors staging a strike across the street.

He acknowledged them both in his royal, friendly way, with a wave to the strikers and a mingle with the dancers.

The staff are among over 900 Tertiary Education Union members from six North Island Polytechnics who have taken further industrial action – two days on strike this week – after negotiations between them and their employers over work hours, pay and discretionary leave stalled.

Whitireia chief Don Campbell says while he understands his tutors’ right to protest, he is disappointed they chose such an important occasion for the polytech.

“I was a bit surprised and disappointed – it was a keynote event for Whitireia,” he says.

Union spokesperson Kaye Laracy says it was just a coincidence the strike happened on the same day as the Prince’s visit.

“It coincided with our second day of strike action. It would have been foolish not to use the opportunity.”

Strikes were also held at Bay of Plenty Polytechnic, NorthTec, Auckland’s Unitec and Waikato Institute of Technology following an unsuccessful mediation process.

They follow similar protests in September regarding the conditions of their new multi-employer collective, which will see the number of teaching days increase from 185 to 204 a year and give employers the right to choose when staff can use their four weeks discretionary leave.

Union members are also dissatisfied with a proposed 2% salary rise – up from the originally offered 1% increase – over two years, says TEU organiser Phillip Dyhrberg.

“What they’re offering is totally unacceptable,” he says. “[We] are very unhappy with their employers’ attempt to claw back key conditions from their collective agreement.”

Unitec chief executive and spokesperson for the polytechs Rick Ede regrets the decision by tutors to continue industrial action after he felt the mediation process “went well”.

“We are very disappointed the union members decided to take industrial action at this time, because the only losers in this have been the students,” he says.

He was unable to confirm how many students were affected by the strikes or if there had been much disruption.

Employers are still willing to go into mediation, though Dr Ede says a solution to the dispute could take time.

“We are actually seeking for the union to come back and keep talking,” he says.

“The question is the willingness of both parties to negotiate in good faith and not to place restrictions on what items can or can’t be negotiated.”

But Mr Dyhrberg says while the TEU is also open to resuming discussions, employers would have to make “significant changes” to their stance.

“None of these issues have been addressed by our employers to our members’ satisfaction.”