Thousands of teachers to walk off the job as pay dispute shuts schools
Thousands of Tasmanian government school teachers will off the job on Friday after the Liberal government offered a “take-it-or-leave-it” three per cent pay rise.
Thousands of government school teachers will walk off the job on Friday morning as part of an industrial campaign for better pay and conditions.
Schools across the state will be closed until noon on Friday due to the stop-work action and rallies will take place in Burnie, Launceston and Hobart.
The Liberal minority government has offered workers covered by 16 industrial agreements including teachers a “take-it-or-leave-it” pay rise of three per cent in return for a one-year deal that leaves working conditions largely unchanged.
Australian Education Union state President David Genford blamed Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Education Minister Jo Palmer for the walkout.
“Educators are taking statewide action in the vast majority of schools because the Premier won’t lift a finger to fix the education crisis. Unfortunately, this is the only language the government seems to understand,” he said.
“We would rather be in classrooms, but we have been backed into a corner by a Premier that refuses to act.”
“Educators are furious that support staff are heading into Christmas with no pay rise and another year facing weeks of unpaid stand-down – a crisis created by the government’s refusal to act.
“Workloads are crushing staff, violence in schools is getting worse, and burnout is pushing people out of the profession, yet the Premier has deliberately stalled bargaining by sending in a ‘negotiator’ with no authority to agree to meaningful changes.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said he did not accept that the governments approach to negotiations had contributed to the stop-work action.
“I don’t accept that, because I believe we’ve been very fair in putting the offer on the table for a year to allow us to be able to work together to secure a longer term wage agreement,” he said.
“And I would like that offer to be taken up and so hard working people in and across the public service can receive that pay rise before Christmas
“We’ve always wanted and look for good faith negotiations – that’s what we did three years ago, I remember saying that, and we secured good wage agreements.
“We want to work with our teachers and work with our police and all our hardworking public servants right across Tasmania to ensure that they have a very fairly supported with increased wages and conditions that is affordable and sustainable.”
Labor Leader and Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years Josh Willie called on the government to return to good faith negotiations with all public sector workers.
“As a former teacher, I know the incredible work our educators do every single day. They deserve a government that listens, respects them, and works with them to deliver the education Tasmanian students deserve,” he said.
“The education workforce doesn’t take stop-work action lightly. They are fighting for more support for student learning and alternative education options so every Tasmanian student can get the education they deserve.
“Tasmanians expect the government to treat its workforce with respect and provide them with safe, fair, and sustainable working conditions, and it’s beyond time this government started listening to our teachers and support staff.”
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