Dubbo Catholic teachers to go on strike to fight for better working conditions

On Friday some Catholic schools in Dubbo will “close down for the day” due to industrial action. Find out what teachers’ want.

Catholic school teachers in Dubbo are set to go on strike this Friday to fight for better working conditions.

More than 17,000 teachers and support staff across 540 Catholic schools in NSW and the ACT voted for the right to take legally protected industrial action.

“There was overwhelming support diocese by diocese, so the vote was probably on average around 94 per cent,” Independent Education Union (IEU) of Australia NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Mark Northam told The Dubbo News.

“(It means) the employer can’t penalise them or berate them or chastise them, they’ve won the right to take legal action.

“We’ve now crossed that bridge, and we’re into the second phase of the campaign which is school by school, they will have chapter meetings as we call them, and they will have meetings to determine what they’re going to do.”

With the cost of living increasing each year, teachers and support staff, not just in the catholic system are appealing for wages that reflect their workloads, and a need to address the rising teacher shortages across the state.

On Friday, Mr Northam said he is anticipating schools including St John’s in Dubbo to “close down for the day” due to the industrial action.

It will be the first time in 18 years that the members of IEU have decided to take a statewide full day stoppage.

Members of the IEU holding stickers to show they voted in support of Friday’s industrial action.

“It is unusual and it’s certainly not unprecedented, it’s unusual and the 18 years sort of reinforces that view that the union hasn’t taken the decision lightly and we’re fully aware that it is disruptive,” Mr Northam said.

“We will have a letter to parents up on our website, and yes it’s a disruptive day but the schools in Dubbo and the parents of the kids that go to the Catholic systemic schools (there) would be really aware of staff shortages.”

Mr Northam did accept that Covid did “exacerbate staff shortages”, however he highlighted that it has been coming for some time now, even before the pandemic.

“The union has been signalling that concern for a number of years, we’ve now reached a point where the issue is at serious proportions,” he continued.

To make matters worse, Mr Northam said there has been about a “30 per cent drop” in students enrolling in universities to study teaching.

In a bid to appeal to more high school students, the newly elected federal Labor government is due to reintroduce teaching scholarships.

For regional and country students with an ATAR over 80, they will be eligible to apply for a $12,000 scholarship.

“The conditions teachers work under, it is not looking like an attractive career,” Mr Northam said.

“The sad dimension that’s missing, students are not having those important conversations with their teachers about what it is like to be a teacher.

“Those conversations I used to have with my students as a former history teacher, they were good, positive conversations, but that’s not occurring.”

The teachers strike in Dubbo will take place at the Victoria Park Rotunda, starting at 10:30am with a march to the Catholic Education Office on Brisbane Street to follow.