The executives of two unions representing primary and secondary teachers met in November to discuss a joint campaign.

Primary and intermediate teachers and principals have voted, "overwhelmingly", to reject the Government's pay offer, saying it didn't properly address a crisis in education.

It's the latest move by the sector that's twice resorted to industrial action in a bid to secure better work and pay conditions.

About 30,000 New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) Te Riu Roa members had one week to cast their secret online ballot and decide to accept or reject the Ministry of Education's latest collective agreement contract.

DOMINICO ZAPATA/STUFF Teachers' unions signalled in November plans to join forces if members chose to reject their respective collective agreement offers.

Votes closed at 6pm on Tuesday and the decision sent to union members afterward.

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There had been no decision on any possible strike action.

RNZ Primary school teachers and principals say workload was the driving issue behind their rejection of the Education Ministry's most recent pay offer.

In an email to teachers, NZEI president Lynda Stuart said on Monday night the increase of approximately $9500 to $11,000 over three years failed to address important issues - time and class size. The Government's offer to principals also didn't go far enough, she said.

"...These offers still do not do enough to fix the crisis in education.

"We know the public is still on our side, and that we have solidarity across schools and now also with our PPTA colleagues. We end this year with some movement from the Government, but still not enough to meet the needs of schools, teachers and children."

KEVIN STENT/STUFF NZEI president Lynda Stuart: "We know the public is still on our side, and that we have solidarity across schools and now also with our PPTA colleagues."

Stuart said NZEI would seek further negotiations immediately, asking for a new offer by early in the first term of 2019.

The NZEI national executive would not be going back to teachers with any decision about next steps until the New Year, she said.

"However, we've heard many members are interested in exploring actions that focus on time and workload in Term 1."

JASON DORDAY/STUFF Last month teachers began a series of rolling-strike action across the country.

The union was keen to hear members' ideas on that before bringing back a firm proposition early next term, Stuart said.

The Ministry of Education had advised that Wednesday was the day NZEI members would have pay docked for rolling strikes in November.

In a statement on Wednesday, the ministry said it was inviting NZEI to return to the bargaining table to discuss options for settling the collective "to meet their member's priorities within the $698 million package".

The ministry listed actions being taken that it said were addressing NZEI's concerns about teachers' workload. They included the Government spending $500 million more for learning support, and $40m to boost teacher supply in the short to medium term.

NZEI official Tute Porter-Samuels told The AM Show she thought NZEI members appreciated and acknowledged the Government had made some movement around pay.

What was needed now were some solutions to time and workload issues. "It's too early to assume that there will be further strike action early next year", she said.

Teachers and principals had voted for a third time this year with the ministry's latest offers to push beginning teachers' salaries up from $47,980 to $53,429 by 2020. The top of the pay scale would be $82,992 by 2020, up from $75,949.

While the basic salary figures mirrored the previous offer, a one-off $500 cash bonus was included for those under the collective agreement and new teachers' pay grades were introduced from 2020.

The NZEI has asked for a 16 per cent pay rise over two years, among claims to improve staffing and workloads it said contributed to a national teacher shortage.

The ministry said it would cost $2.5 billion to meet primary and intermediate teachers' and principals' demandsbut Stuart said it would take a boost of $900m.

Stuart said on Tuesday a vote to reject would mean there would be further steps taken to "ensure the Government and Ministry of Education are clear on the outstanding issues".

"[Teachers] have taken the ballot seriously and have taken their time to think about the offer."

Last month an estimated 460,000 primary and intermediate pupils were affected when teachers began a series of rolling-strike action across the country.

Classrooms were left empty for the first time in 24 years in August when members walked off the job for a full-day's strike action.

Stuart and Post Primary Teachers' Association (PPTA) president Jack Boyle signalled in November the unions planned to join forces if members chose to reject their respective collective agreement offers.

Secondary teachers voted to "overwhelmingly" reject their offer for settlement on November 26 with plans to strike in Term 1 of the New Year.

"We cannot rule out what might be in that shared campaign. We can't say right now if we will have a mega strike," Boyle said.

"We have some shared issues that need to be dealt with. Some of those campaign things will be about getting maximum exposure ... so that the Government listens and increases the pot."

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