Union fumes as NSW teachers awarded six per cent pay rise

NSW teachers have received a “court-ordered pay deal”, and an additional one-off payment, but the NSW Teachers Federation isn’t happy.

NSW Minister for Education Sarah Mitchell. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

NSW teachers will receive a six per cent pay rise over two years after a decision in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission on Friday afternoon.

Under the pay deal, teachers will receive an additional 0.25 per cent increase which will be backdated from July 1 this year, on top of the 2.5 per cent increase received on January 1; plus a 3 per cent increase from January 1, 2023.

Teachers will also receive an additional one-off payment outside the award, amounting to 0.25 per cent of their annual salary as at 30 June 2022, which will be paid as a lump sum once the award is finalised.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell welcomed the pay deal for the state’s more than 90,000 teachers and urged the teachers’ union to work constructively with the government following the decision.

“Making sure our teachers receive the maximum increases they are eligible for has been a focus for me and the NSW Government,” she said.

“I hope the Teachers Federation will now begin working with us on improving outcomes for our students.

“We are committed to a program of significant reform including new, streamlined curriculum and giving teachers back time to teach, and have guaranteed additional release time for all teachers to enable effective implementation of these reforms.”

However NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the Premier’s “court ordered pay deal” amounted to a wage cut at a time when inflation was 7.3 per cent.

“The IRC does not have the capacity to make any decision over and above the government’s salary cap,” he said.

“The decision will cap further pay increases at 0.25 per cent from July 1, 2022 and 2.53 per cent from the first pay period after January 1, 2023, and will only contribute to the large and growing shortage of teachers.”

Mr Gavrielatos said it came after the government’s People Matter Employee Survey this week revealed two thirds of teachers were burnt out, with many looking to leave the profession.

“It painted a shocking picture of the state of affairs for the teaching service – a service that is now in crisis,” he said. “The government is failing students, families and teachers.

“We expect the government to act on its own evidence, that unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries are contributing to a chronic teacher shortage.

“This decision does nothing other than contribute further to the crisis and teacher shortage.”