Teachers’ stopwork action means public schools will open late

UPDATED: THE majority of the state’s public schools will open late because of industrial action by teachers next week, Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff says. SEE THE FULL LIST OF CLOSURES

THE majority of the state’s public schools will open late because of industrial action by teachers next week, Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff says.

Teachers will turn up late to school after stopwork meetings in the state’s North and North-West on Tuesday, November 27, and on Wednesday, November 28, in the South.

MORE: UNIONS PLAN FURTHER INDUSTRIAL ACTION

Mr Rockliff told State Parliament on Tuesday the majority of schools would not be opening until 10.30am on the days of the industrial action.

He said parents and carers would have to make arrangements to drop their children off after 10.30am at 152 schools on those days.

School bus timetables would not be altered, he said.

SEE THE FULL LIST OF SCHOOLS OPENING LATE HERE

Mr Rockliff said individual schools would be communicating with parents about the revised starting times through normal channels.

“This belligerent action by the union is going to affect thousands of families across Tasmania and Labor should condemn this and call on their union mates to call off the strike and come back to the negotiating table,” he said.

MORE:

TEACHERS TO DOWN TOOLS FOR STOPWORK MEETINGS

MINISTER STOKES CRIME FEARS AMID PAY FIGHT

STRIKE ACTION TO CLOSE SCHOOLS ACROSS THE STATE

Teachers are holding 45-minute stopwork meetings as part of an industrial campaign for better wages and conditions.

They have rejected a Government pay offer of 2 per cent a year for three years and an increase in teacher numbers.

An estimated 5600 teachers at public schools, colleges and TAFE are expected to take part in the industrial action.

Deputy Premier Jeremy Rockliff, left, and Premier Will Hodgman during Question Time. Picture: LUKE BOWDEN

Australian Education Union state manager Helen Richardson said the resolve of teachers was getting stronger.

“The fact that more than 150 schools are closing shows the depth and the breadth of educator concerns about crippling workload and the effects it’s having on quality education,” she said.

“The number of schools closing has doubled since our last stop work action and this because teachers, principals and support staff are disgusted by the Hodgman Government’s handling of negotiations.

“Tasmania’s most experienced teachers are the lowest paid in the country with the highest workload and the Government refuses to address this and that’s why schools are closing in such large numbers.

“Instead of talking to educators respectfully about solutions to workload, Will Hodgman’s Treasurer has been let loose to use the media and parliamentary privilege to attack teachers and it is this disgraceful behaviour that has made them so angry.

“We call on Premier Will Hodgman to step up and show leadership and direct his Ministers to negotiate in good faith and address educator concerns as a matter of urgency.”

Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations spokesman Nigel Jones said the stopwork actions were going to be hugely disruptive.

“We are firmly opposed to the strike,” he said. “Students are being used as pawns and it needs to stop.

“We are getting feedback from parents, we are very concerned about the number of children who will even attend school that day.

“People in country areas probably won’t even attend school that day. People in the city — if both parents are working and can’t get the time off — there will be children at home unsupervised.

“I don’t think the union has thought this through at all. If they have, it’s not very helpful to students and parents.”

He said the union should call off the stop work action

“They need to be mature adults and get back around the negotiating table … and keep negotiating and keep putting things on the table until they come to a compromise.”