Platitudes not enough from Talent2

Teachers and schools deserve more than a belated apology ‘for the inconvenience” from the contractor responsible for the Novopay payroll debacle, says Nanaia Mahuta.

In a lengthy media statement released today by Talent2 CEO John Rawlinson, the company tried to explain why it has taken so long to fix the botch-ups reported by schools.

“Teachers and support staff have had a gutsful.  They’ve had months of problems and excuses and some are still waiting for historical errors to be rectified so that they can receive their full pay.

“Talent2 has failed to give schools a straight answer on when the system will be fully implemented and working reliably.  It's critically important that end of year reconciliations are received so that staff can be paid fully over the Christmas period.

“As teachers and staff make their holiday plans in advance, a missed payment will make the difference between a great or miserable holiday.

“The 'teething problems' experienced by schools have been a nightmare and the Ministry can no longer rely on the goodwill of principals to carry the real costs of implementation failure.

“The Talent 2 Board should be compensating schools because it is evident that its inability to effectively trial the system prior to the go live date and the failure to present a coherent implementation plan has left teachers, support staff, Principals and BOTs holding a white elephant.

“Compensation will be the only apology acceptable at this stage as the sector has no confidence in the poorly designed system,” says Nanaia Mahuta.