NSW Premier’s school visit prompts extraordinary walkout from teachers

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet was met by an extraordinary protest action from teachers when he visited an area of Sydney where several schools have been upgraded.

Teachers at a Sydney high school protested a visit by the NSW Premier by walking off the school ground on Wednesday as industrial action by educators heats up.

Educators at Marsden High School who walked off were authorised to do so by the Teachers Federation union, whose members voted on Tuesday to go on strike.

Teachers across the state will strike for 24 hours next Wednesday.

“Should NSW government MPs seek to enter school grounds, Federation members are authorised to walk out for as long as these MPs remain on-site,” a statement from the union said.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet’s visit prompted teachers to walk out. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Premier Dominic Perrottet was in Ryde to tour what’s known as the Meadowbank education precinct, an area where several schools have been upgraded.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell slammed the walkout authorisation as proof the union was “in bed with Labor”.

“It isn’t coincidental that some of the directions that they've made yesterday, walk out when a government MP attends, nothing on the Labor MPs,” she said in a radio interview.

“So you know, if you want more validation that the unions are in bed with Labor I think we saw that.”

The teachers voted to strike because they say a majority have unmanageable workloads and low pay.

The union also said a majority of teachers found staffing levels at schools were too low.

The teachers were protesting what they say are low salaries, unmanageable workloads and meagre staffing levels. Picture: Angira Bharadwaj

Teachers Federation state president Angelo Gavrielatos said the government was advocating for a new award that would impose a 2.04 per cent salary cap, which would be lower than inflation and mean a cut to real income.

He also claimed an across-the-board 2.5 per cent salary increase cap on the public service would render the Industrial Relation Commission toothless in the dispute.

“The government’s own regulations effectively prevent the IRC from addressing the causes of the teacher shortage,” he said.

“Its own regulations will result in a predetermined outcome consistent with the government’s 2.5 per cent salary cap.”

Ms Mitchell said teachers had their salaries increased by 2.5 per cent in January, and that there were possible bonuses and pay jumps available for teachers who were promoted.

NSW Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said teachers could progress their salaries. Picture: David Swift

She said teachers started at $72,000 per year and could climb the ranks to earn as much as $107,000.

“There is an opportunity to be a teacher and to progress in your career and to progress with the salary,” she said.

She also defended a recent pay increase to government MPs.

The government recently gave a pay boost to every Coalition MP except one.

The politicians were given extra responsibilities which entitled them to salary increases, in some cases by as much as $32,000 per year, on top of base salaries of $169,000.

“Yeah, but there's also a lot of parliamentary roles at the moment,” Ms Mitchell said when confronted about the pay rises.

“I've never seen more committees being set up by the opposition and the crossbench and they all need chairs.

“There‘s plenty of Labor and crossbench members that get that increase as well, it’s a factor of how the parliament is operating at the moment and the way the numbers are.

“That's the scenario we’re in.”