Riverina Catholic and public teachers take part in statewide industrial action

Riverina Catholic and public teachers have walked off the job for the first time in more than 20 years as a slew of industrial action continues across the state across education, health and transport sectors.

Riverina Catholic and public school teachers teamed up on Thursday to take industrial action together for the first time in more than 20 years.

More than 200 members of the Wagga branches of the NSW Teachers Federation and Independent Education Union gathered at the Wagga Civic Centre, as part of a statewide 24-hour strike.

Public school teachers are demanding a pay rise of between 5 and 7.5 per cent, depending on experience, from the NSW Government.

Teachers made their voices heard through the streets of Wagga on Thursday. Picture: Patrick Morrow

Catholic teachers are asking for better work conditions, and on Thursday stood in solidarity with their state counterparts.

Wagga High School teacher Heloise Gooden said there was a staffing shortage at her school.

“I have been teaching for 11 years and I don’t have a permanent job, we cannot cover classes, we are overworked,” she said.

Wagga High School teacher Heloise Gooden said there was a staffing shortage at her school. Picture: Patrick Morrow

Ms Gooden said she hoped the industrial action would result in a decent pay offer from the NSW Government.

“I think what else can we do to change people’s mind but keep sending the message,” she said.

Leeton Catholic school teacher Elizabeth Watford, who teaches at St Francis college, said the system also had teacher shortages and needed “urgent help now”.

Leeton Catholic school teacher Elizabeth Watford said staffing was an issue. Picture: Patrick Morrow

She said she came back to teaching, after time off in 2017, and it was apparent that there were severe teacher shortages which led to her having to cover other teachers because of the increased workload.

“I say there has been increased administration work once I came back and the extra responsibility I have to do as well, it is just awful,” Ms Watford said.

“There is a problem of retention of staff and the reason I left was because you’ve got other kids to cover as well as your own so it is hard on the work life balance.

“I hope that personally we can have improved conditions and attract more people to the profession because we need the staff to cover our students.”

She said her school caters for over 700 students, with minimal supervision available during the strike action.

Teachers from both systems marched down the main road of Wagga, ending at Bolton Park where they gave speeches and watched the coverage from the Sydney action.

First time in 20 plus years Wagga teachers are walking down the main st of Baylis st ⁦@TeachersFed⁩ pic.twitter.com/UmLC4yV207

— Patrick Morrow (@MrPatrickMorrow) June 29, 2022

Organiser of the rally, Jack O’Brien, said it was a great turnout and he was proud that both unions had come together in solidarity.

“It really demonstrates the crisis in our schools at the moment and to make sure the government can fix the issues arising at our schools,” he said.

Mr O’Brien said the government had not done enough in getting the right deal for teachers across the state.

“The government has not done enough to fix the dispute and so far the government has demonstrated that they are not willing to listen to the voices of teachers,” he said.

Wagga teachers want more action by the government. Picture: Patrick Morrow

Mr O'Brien said the government’s idea of performance pay for teachers was insulting.

“This is an idea from 15 years ago that is so old and outdated we need more action on helping teachers get better pay,” he said.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said at a press conference in Sydney the three per cent offer on the table was very generous compared to other states.

“We’ve ensured teachers’ pay in NSW has remained competitive with the rest of the country and continuously invested in our schools, including building more than 200 new or upgraded schools,” she said.