Teachers are standing firm in their fight and plan to strike on Wednesday, after a unanimous decision was made to proceed with industrial action.
On May 4 The NSW Teachers Federation will walk off the job, hoping to achieve improvements to what they say are worsening conditions that have lingered since the beginning of the pandemic.
St George Teachers' Association members say they are "at breaking point", and that staff shortages are in crisis.
Kogarah High School federation representative, Scott Gosnell, said workloads were unsustainable, forcing many out of the profession. He said some students were left to learn on their own in many HSC classes, and others were left reeling from sudden teacher absences.
"The teacher shortage is at an all-time high...COVID-19 support programs have been abandoned whilst [English language support teachers] have been called on to cover the classes for absent colleagues, meaning that students with identified learning support needs must go without," he said.
Federation representative of Arncliffe West Infants School, Owen Ikin, said the resolve of teachers was strong. "We will continue to take any action that is necessary to guarantee that out students in St George have the teachers and the quality education that they deserve," he said.
A recent poll of 10,000 teachers revealed 73 per cent said their workload was unmanageable and 90 per cent disagreed that their pay reflected their expertise and responsibilities.
Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos said teachers were left with no alternative. "That the government is pursuing a new award that seeks to impose a 2.04 per cent salary cap, with no change to the crippling working conditions experienced by the profession for a three-year period, is contemptuous," he said. "At a time when inflation is running at 3.5 per cent and predicted to grow, this would constitute a cut to teachers' real income."
Vice President of the St George Teachers Association, Glenn Hokin, said teachers should and must act. "It is outrageous that the Premier pretends that the Industrial Relations Commission is able to make a decision based on the work value of teachers. He knows that the Commission is bound by the State Wages Policy, and is unable to award any increases above that," he said.
New analysis by the McKell Institute reveals that if NSW teachers accept the current offer, real wages for a median teacher would fall by more than $2000 in the next two years. The report shows it would send wages back 1.21 per cent in 2022.
A spokesman for the NSW Department of Education said the planned strike was deeply disappointing, and called on the federation to "put students first".
"Our priority across the department is to minimise disruption to student learning and support the well-being of our students and staff as we emerge from the latest COVID-19 wave and prepare for the winter months," he said. "Parents want their children in school, and no student needs another day out of the classroom."
He says industrial action during a 24-hour strike is an unauthorised absence and staff who take part will be unpaid for that period. Schools must remain open, he said.
"In some cases schools will provide minimal supervision, which means temporary class structures and a modified timetable are needed to meet safety and supervision requirements," the spokesman said.
The Teacher's Award is scheduled to be arbitrated in the Industrial Relations Commission in early May.
Minister for Education and Early Learning, Sarah Mitchell, asked the department to seek deferral of the wages component of the IRC process, which is due to begin on May 9.
"I called the President of the NSW Teachers Federation [on Tuesday] morning to advise him of this action and to ask him to call off Wednesday's proposed strike action in the interest of students and teachers," she said. "The Premier has made clear the government's intention to review the wages policy for public sector staff."
The Independent Education Union of Australia (IEU) is in the process of negotiating new enterprise agreements for its 18,000 members in Catholic diocesan schools. They are seeking an increase of 10-15 per cent in pay across two years. The union has obtained a Protected Action Ballot Order in the Fair Work Commission this month, which, pending its outcome, will authorise similar industrial action in late May.
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