Teachers from around the Macleay Valley met at Elbow Street on Thursday (March 10) as senior vice-president of the Teacher's Federation, Amber Flohm, joined representatives to deliver a clear message for NSW government members of parliament.
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That message is the Premier has to mid-March to engage in genuine negotiations to address the teacher shortage and its causes - unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries.
At its February State Council meeting, NSW Teachers Federation resolved to defer further industrial action until 19 March to give the Premier and the NSW Government an opportunity to engage in genuine negotiations with the union.
Senior Vice President Flohm said the pause in industrial action provides the government with a unique opportunity to resolve the matters regarding teachers' salaries and workloads.
"While the union is suspending industrial action during Term 1, the campaign to address the root causes of the teacher shortage, unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries will continue with a deliberate focus on every government MP," said Ms Flohm.
"That the Government is pursuing a new Award that seeks to impose a 2.04 per cent salary cap with no change to the crippling working conditions experienced by the profession for a three-year period is contemptuous. At a time when inflation is running at 3.5 per cent and predicted to grow, this would constitute a cut to teachers' real income and status of the profession."
Ms Flohm also said the NSW Government had been caught red-handed covering up the extent of teacher shortages across the State, which have been further compounded by uncompetitive salaries and unsustainable workloads.
"Last year, hundreds of pages of secret Government documents were exposed that talked about teacher shortages and the causes of the shortages. These confidential reports predicted that by 2025, teacher shortages would be in excess of 2425 vacancies.
"Nationals MP Melinda Pavey needs to make it clear whether she supports her Government's one-size fits all salary cap, which is contributing to teacher shortages, or whether she supports a greater investment in teachers," she said.
"The Department of Education's own figures show that there were an incredible 56 vacant permanent teaching positions in the Electorate of Oxley last October.
"If Mrs Pavey and her government colleagues don't act now, the teacher shortages will only get worse and kids in Kempsey will pay the ultimate price for this short-sightedness.
"Unless the Government demonstrates that it is serious in providing improvements in working conditions and salary justice by mid-March, then the Federation will consider the full suite of options available to it, including the recommencement of industrial action."
John Kassel, president of Macleay River Teachers Association said the message teachers are sending state-wide has been the same locally.
"Teachers are telling me there's a shortage, their workload is crippling, our salaries are uncompetitive," he said.
The Argus has confirmed with Mrs Pavey's office that a meeting will take place with Mr Kassel on Thursday (March 17) at 4pm.
"When that meeting takes place I'll be asking her questions about the issues Amber and I have raised today," Mr Kassel said last Thursday.
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