Tasmanian teacher pay fight to go into new school year

UPDATED: The majority of Southern Tasmanian public schools won’t open until 10.30am today due to industrial action by teachers.

School social worker Robyn Sutcliffe speaks at the school stop work meeting in Devonport. Picture: CHRIS KIDD

UPDATED: The majority of Southern Tasmanian public schools won’t open until 10.30am today due to industrial action by teachers.

Teachers turned up late to school after stop-work meetings in the state’s North and North-West yesterday, and will do the same in the South after gathering at Hobart’s Regatta Grounds today.

Since news of the strike broke last week, school principals have used social media and newsletters to advise parents of the industrial action and how they’ll be affected.

EARLIER:

TASMANIAN educators have vowed to take their fight with the State Government for better pay and conditions into the new school year.

The Waterfront Centre in Devonport was filled to capacity on Tuesday morning as thousands of educators met across northern Tasmania to show their frustration at the Government’s “lack of action on workload and fair pay.”

The meetings meant Tasmanian public schools did not open to students until 10.30am.

MORE:

SWEETENERS OFFERED BUT 2% PAY OFFER STAYS

FORENSICS WORK BAN RELAXED

The hundreds who attended the Devonport industrial action meeting said they had a message for the Government: get ready for a campaign that will ramp up over 2019.

“This is likely to be the biggest industrial fight we will have. We are powerful and are here for as long as it takes to secure a fair outcome,” the meeting was told.

The Australian Education Union said it would survey members before deciding what work bans would be implemented by Tasmanian educators in term one next year.

School social worker Robyn Sutcliffe told the meeting she and her colleagues were dealing with more complex cases but with fewer resources.

“We accepted a 2 per cent pay increase as a temporary measure in 2014 to bail out the Government,” she said.

“Our compassion has now come back to bite us. We wouldn’t mind taking 2 per cent if members of parliament were prepared to do the same.”

Members also filled out grinch postcards to send to the Government for Christmas.

AEU Tasmanian branch president Helen Richardson said the unprecedented numbers of teachers and support staff participating in the stop-work action showed the depth and breadth of concern about the effects unmanageable workloads were having on quality education and student learning.

“Teachers and support staff are calling for urgent action from the Government to lower class sizes, enable more time for lesson planning and a competitive salary that stops our most experienced teachers being the lowest paid in Australia,” Ms Richardson said.

“We call on Premier Will Hodgman to step up and show leadership and address

educator concerns as a matter of urgency because teachers, principals and support staff

want nothing more than to be in classrooms and focused on teaching and learning.”

Members from the CPSU and United Voice who work in education also attended Tuesday’s stop work action which rolls into southern Tasmania on Wednesday.