The ongoing dispute over secondary teachers' pay could be settled through independent arbitration.

The PPTA is considering recommendations from the Employment Relations Authority to suspend industrial action, and begin independent arbitration with the Ministry of Education.

Secondary Principals Association's Vaughan Couillault told Mike Hosking that it's the next step.

He said that especially in the public sector, where people will be disadvantaged by the continuation of strike action, there may need to be some kind of trigger for arbitration.

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