Morning classes for students across the state were suspended yesterdayas teachers took part in a two-hour stopwork meeting.
The NSW Teachers Federation called the meeting from 9 to 11 am in response to the state government failing to review wage increases . The current award expires at the end of the year.
Government policy stipulates a review of wage increases for teachers within three months of the award’s expiry. Previous award negotiations have lasted between three and four months.
Deputy President of the Federation, Gary Zadkovich, said:”The government was elected in March, and they have ample time to plan for this event. Talk is cheap. We don’t wish for industrial action but we will not stand for teachers and students to be undermined.”
“Last Friday, the Director General wrote to teachers asking them not to assist with negotiations. It is regrettable that we have to call this meeting, but this plea has come too late.” The meeting was broadcast to 200 locations.
Last month the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) announced a 12-month Consumer Price Index (CPI) increase of 3.5 per cent. The government also announced a wage cap of 2.5 per cent for public teachers at primary, secondary and TAFE institutions, prompting a strike on September 8.
Spokesperson for the NSW Department of Education Mark Davies said: “Any increase in more than 2.5 per cent needs to be funded by productivity savings in schools.”
“We have the flexibility to give them more than 2.5 per cent wage rise but it needs to be done within the context of the policy,” he said.
Member of Industrial Relations and Business School at the University of Technology, Sydney, Dr Sarah Kaine, said: “I think it is problematic to expect public service workers to show productivity savings in order to be paid more. If good faith bargaining is the intention, it has been foreshadowed by putting the 2.5 per centlegislation in place.
“I think it is tough for public service workers with what happened over the weekend. It is a reassertion of management muscle in Australian industrial relations. Employers will start taking a lesson from Qantas to harden their line.”
Mr Zadkovich said: “If an offer comes before Wednesday, we will still proceed with the meeting with a change of agenda,” he said earlier this week. Teachers will be given the analyses of the offer instead and given the right to vote.”
Mr Davies said: “We want to work cooperatively with teachers and t he reason for the delay in starting negotiations is because the department needed to satisfy to the government that its bargaining position is in line with the new wage policy.”
The NSW Minister for Education appealed to the Teachers Federation not to go ahead with its meeting and cited the same inconveniences to parents and carers experienced during the September 8 demonstration.
Industrial relations expert, Grace Collier, said: “Teachers are not suffering any paycuts, just a rise not more than 2.5 per cent. A 2.5 per cent guaranteed increase is not too shabby. If they want more they can find savings, it doesn’t seem that much to complain about.”
North Ryde parent, San Lim said: “I don’t really like children being exposed to so much negativity in their school environment. I wish the teachers would put the children first during school hours. If they have to negotiate, I’d rather they do that after school hours.”
By Su-lin Tan
