Hundred of NSW teachers to rally at Education Minister’s office over pay negotiation dispute

Hundreds of teachers will storm a minister’s office on Wednesday, with educators accusing the state government of breaking pay promises.

More than 150 western Sydney teachers will rally outside the electoral office of NSW Education Minister Prue Car at 4pm on Wednesday as pay negotiations continue to sour.

Educators across the state are outraged over claims the government failed to honour a pay agreement the NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) claimed had been established.

A central concern is the offer of a multi-year deal in which teachers would receive a 2.5 per cent pay rise in years two, three and four after a larger salary boost of up to 12 per cent for some teachers in the first year.

However, the union believed only a one-year deal had been agreed to, with annual negotiations thereafter.

Teachers across the state will rally outside Education Minister Prue Car’s office on Wednesday afternoon. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Jeremy Piper

Sian Barnard, an assistant principal at St Marys North Public School and NSWTF representative accused Ms Car and NSW Premier Chris Minns of making “empty promises” to fix the staffing crisis.

She said workforce shortages had led to extreme burnout among staff and believes higher rates of pay that were competitive against other states and territories would help retain staff and attract new workers.

“It’s not just about wages, it’s about attracting new teachers and stopping the teacher shortage. You’ve got 70 per cent of your workforce considering leaving due to burnout and work overload,” she said.

“I’m not saying this government could have fixed this in six months, but step one of the process of fixing the system is to make it more attractive.”

Assistant principal and NSW Teachers Federation representative Sian Barnard accused the government of making empty promises. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Nikki Short

Ms Barnard also said it was an act of “betrayal” against teachers who campaigned to help Labor win the state election on the proviso the government would elevate and restore the profession.

“I was booth captain at Penrith South where we took out Stuart Ayres (the former Liberal Penrith MP), and we had a series of local teachers on a roster because it was a marginal seat,” she said.

“One member personally funded his flight from Moree (in regional NSW) to campaign for what we thought would be a change for education.”

According to government figures released this year, the number of teacher vacancies has significantly grown between 2019 and 2023. In May 2019, there were 1231 teacher vacancies; however that figure grew to 1820 as of May 2023.

A report tabled by the Auditor-General last week also highlighted 922 permanent vacancies in regional and remote NSW schools in January 2023.

Wednesday’s rally comes after threats of a targeted “program of political action” launched by former NSWTF president Angelo Gavrielatos.

Earlier this month, Mr Gavrielatos said a “further escalation of action” would ramp up from September if negotiations continued to stall.

The union has threatened further actions if negotiations continue to stall. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

NSWTF acting president Henry Rajendra, who will attend the rally, called on the government to reconsider the pay proposal.

“The teacher shortage in NSW is severe and getting worse and our kids deserve better. The fastest and best way to tackle this crisis is for the government to pay teachers what they’re worth,” he said.

“It’s not too late to revive and honour the agreement the government made.

“Teachers will continue to exert maximum political pressure and on September 9 our State Council will meet to decide whether to escalate that action.”

Ms Car’s office has been contacted for comment.