NEWBERY Park Primary School will be among 183 education institutions statewide which will close its doors this morning as public school teachers strike to “demand respect” from the State Government during ongoing enterprise bargaining negotiations.
It will be the first time public school teachers have walked off the job in a decade and follows rallies held in Adelaide and regional centres – including Mount Gambier – in October.
During the state-wide campaign last month, Australian Education Union (AEU) members collectively moved a motion to “condemn and deplore budget cuts and proposed TAFE campus closures”.
Culminating with a half-day strike today until 12.15pm, Kalangadoo Primary School will also close, while Millicent High and Millicent North Primary schools will remain open.
The majority of South Australia’s government schools and preschools – about 80pc – will operate as normal or with modified learning programs, a result State Treasurer Rob Lucas said showed a considerable loss of community and teacher support for the AEU.
“Let there be no mistake – this is a resounding vote of no-confidence in the union bosses whose ill-conceived rush to strike has been shown to be puerile in the extreme,” Mr Lucas said.
“They have shown poor judgment and complete lack of regard for hardworking parents and grandparents in their race to industrial action,” he said.
Lucindale Area School principal and AEU executive elected member Adrian Maywald said an “overwhelming majority” of union members had voted in favour of industrial action.
“After six months of negotiations, we still have no agreements around country incentives, class sizes, extra resources or specialist teachers,” Mr Maywald told The South Eastern Times.
“Union representatives have put forward approximately 128 items and only two of those have been tabled.
“We want to see some conditions in place that will allow us to deliver education as best as we possibly can.”
Mr Maywald said AEU members were campaigning to reduce class sizes, improve funding and support for every child and for country schools.
“We all want a world-class public system to improve students’ learning outcomes and that is not possible without the necessary resources,” he said.
However, Mr Lucas said public claims the strike had nothing to do with wages was in stark contrast to the AEU’s demands of a 3.5pc interim pay rise, equating to around $80m a year and nearly double the inflation rate.
Mr Lucas said in addition to a 3.5pc salary rise, the AEU has also asked for:
• Additional salary increases to make up for the “gender pay gap” between education and other industries – possible cost up to $23m per annum
• An extra 60 minutes non-instruction time per week per teacher for collaboration with peers and professional responsibilities outside the classroom – possible cost up to $59m p.a.
• An extra two days sick leave per teacher – possible cost $15.3m p.a.
• Extra non-instruction time for all teachers for report writing – possible cost up to $28.8m p.a.
Mr Lucas said it was time for AEU SA president Howard Spreadbury to “come clean” about the full extent of his union’s claims.
“While Mr Spreadbury is telling parents and grandparents one thing, he’s doing something entirely different behind-the-scenes,”Mr Lucas said.
“All we’re saying is, if you’re going to put unnecessary pressure on families, by creating maximum disruption and inconvenience with very little notice, then the least you can do is be upfront and honest about the motives behind it.”
Mr Lucas said the Marshall State Government was delivering a record investment in education – with recurrent annual funding for schools increasing by $515m from 2017/18 to 2021/22.
“Union bosses should be discussing with the government the best ways to spend this massive increase in funding to positively impact student learning outcomes, rather than going on strike,” Mr Lucas said.
Teachers from across the region will march from the Mount Gambier Railway Lands to the Education Department office on Commercial Street West from 9.30am.
