Teachers and staff at Macarthur Catholic schools to walk off the job
Teachers and support staff at Diocese of Wollongong Catholic systemic schools will stop work on Monday morning to fight for their right to arbitration.
Macarthur
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Teachers and support staff at Diocese of Wollongong Catholic systemic schools will stop work on Monday morning after a failure to agree on their enterprise bargaining agreement..
The action is part of rolling stop works in schools across NSW and the ACT, continuing to 8 November in the first instance.
Primary schools that will strike in the Macarthur region include Holy Family Catholic Parish Primary School at Ingleburn, Mary Immaculate Catholic Parish Primary School at Eagle Vale, St Justin’s Catholic Parish Primary School at Oran Park, St Thomas More Catholic Parish Primary School at Ruse and St John the Evangelist Catholic Parish Primary School at Campbelltown.
High Schools that will strike include John Therry Catholic High School at Rosemeadow, Magdalene Catholic High School at Smeaton Grange, Mount Carmel Catholic College at Varroville and St Benedict’s Catholic College at Oran Park.
The independent Education Union says the strike is a last resort after attempts to negotiate for almost a year failed.
The enterprise agreement covering Catholic schools expired in December and members have yet to receive the agreed pay rise of 2.5 per cent while they fight for their rights to arbitration, the union says.
IEUA NSW/ACT branch secretary John Quessy said the right of the union to take disputes to arbitration by an independent umpire was a basic worker’s right being denied by employers.
“We’re not sure why they are singling out Catholic schools in NSW and the ACT,” he said.
“Without the right to arbitration, enterprise agreements are compromised.
“While we are loathe to take any action which disturbs students’ education, it’s crucial that employers cannot stop the Union seeking a hearing at the Fair Work Commission.
“It’s rather ironic that we are having a long-running dispute to fight for the right to resolve disputes quickly and fairly.”