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Union, MPs stand with striking teachers

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“For too long, teachers around this state have been ignored by the NSW Government.”

That was the strong sentiment from Newcastle MP Tim Crakanthorp, who joined Hunter Workers and fellow local members Clayton Barr (Cessnock), Yasmin Catley (Swansea) and Jenny Aitchison (Maitland) in supporting the region’s over-worked and under-paid teachers on Friday 3 December.

They’re also backing the NSW Teachers Federation’s state-wide strike, which is scheduled to take place on Tuesday 7 December.

As many as 60,000 teachers and principals from NSW’s 2,200 public schools will walk off the job for 24 hours in response to personnel shortages, unmanageable workloads, uncompetitive salaries and dismal pay rises that have been capped at a maximum of 2.5% for the past 10 years.

“When the teacher shortage is so great that this government has to bring in teachers from overseas, it is clear that they have never been interested in ensuring the local workforce is supported and nurtured,” the Shadow Minister for Skills, TAFE and Tertiary Education said.

“This could be fixed.

“All it requires is for this government to come to the table and act on what our teachers need, rather than pay lip service to their very valid concerns.

“This government has been full of thanks for our teachers; however, their actions have not matched their words.”

Ms Catley admitted it was a shame such drastic measures needed to occur.

“This action hasn’t been taken lightly with NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos stating ‘the teacher shortages are too large and their cause, uncompetitive salaries and unmanageable workloads, too great for them and principals not to proceed’,” the Shadow Minister for the Hunter explained.

“So severe is the teacher shortage that the Perrottet government is planning to import teachers from the United Kingdom, Canada and New Zealand.

“The treatment of our teachers by the government is completely unacceptable.

“They have been left understaffed, underpaid and overworked.”

Ms Catley said students were unfortunately playing the price, too.

“The latest data shows in regional and rural schools, 22% of classes are taught by a teacher outside their subject area,” she told the Newcastle Weekly.

“The very programs the government established to address the teacher shortage are failing.

“That is why, once again, they are looking overseas for answers.

“Labor stands with our teachers to call on the government to address this shortage and pay them a fair wage for the important work they do.”

Ms Aitchison said teachers were being “pushed to the edge” in terms of pay and conditions.

“And, now, there aren’t even going to be enough of them to sustain our public schools,” she stated.

“The NSW Government has sat on their hands, knowing this crisis is coming.

“They have done nothing.

“Every parent who has home-schooled during COVID-19 knows the effort that teachers put in each and every day.

“Sadly, their wages are going backwards against other professionals and they are being asked to cover the lack of recruitment by this government.

“For the first time in 10 years, teachers are taking industrial action to let our community know the grave threat that faces public education in this state.

“Their real concerns about shortages, fair pay and workloads and the impact on education results must be heard by the government urgently.

“The Premier cannot continue to stick his head in the sand.” 

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