Teachers say "Back off Carr!"

State teachers held a very successful full day strike in NSW 
on Thursday last week and are set to take further action on 
Wednesday this week. Their actions were about far more than wages 
and professional recognition. They were political strikes on 
issues that go to the heart of public education and trade 
unionism. They were followed the next day by Catholic school 
teachers who are also seeking a significant pay rise.

The NSW Teachers' Federation (NSWTF) representing teachers from 
government schools and the Independent Education Union (IEU) 
covering teachers from Catholic schools had each taken a Special 
Case to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) seeking 
substantial pay rises. This was after years of bitter dispute 
during which the real value of salaries and working conditions 
had been reduced and the workload and pressures on teachers had 
risen.

A resolution adopted by the IEU at a rally last Friday said, 
"Both unions presented strong and compelling evidence to underpin 
their claim that teachers' work over the last decade had 
substantially improved in value and that the demands and 
expectations on teachers' experience, professionalism and 
expertise had all increased".

The Special Cases appeared to be going well when hearings had 
closed and the IRC handed down an interim pay rise of 5.5 percent 
last December. Then last month, when teachers were poised to hear 
the IRC's final decision and were expecting to receive 
considerably more than the 5.5 percent — the Carr Government 
intervened.

"The Government had every opportunity prior to the final hearings 
last December to put its arguments and did so, notably by arguing 
the preposterous proposition that teachers' work had not 
substantially changed", the IEU resolution said.

Provocative intervention

State Premier Bob Carr, at a press conference and later in 
Parliament, stated that NSW could not afford wage rises for 
teachers. He followed this up with an urgent message to the IRC 
seeking to reopen the teachers' wage case. The IRC agreed.

Such intervention is unusual in the arbitration system. It is 
provocative and, not surprisingly, angered teachers. It is also 
an attack on unions and unionism. Strikes were organised quickly 
by both unions.

About 10,000 public school teachers marched through Sydney 
streets on Thursday in a defiant and determined mood. At the 
rally held at the end of the march, NSWTF President Maree 
O'Halloran was loudly cheered when she said: "We are here for the 
future of our profession. We are here for the future of 
education."

On the next day over 1000 Catholic teachers gathered at the 
Masonic Hall in Sydney and then marched through the streets to 
Parliament House.

John Robertson, Secretary of NSW Labor Council, spoke at both 
strike meetings.

"We cannot allow any political person, be it the Premier or 
anyone else, to try and intimidate the industrial umpire in NSW, 
which is effectively what Carr has done", he said.

Almighty brawl

"If the Premier wants to continue with this sort of tactic there 
will be an almighty brawl in NSW and not just with the teachers."

Reflecting on what makes Carr so antagonistic towards teachers 
Dick Shearman, IEU General Secretary, suggested that maybe NSW 
teachers do not teach enough American history, a comment that 
delighted his audience.

When Carr became Premier he promised he would be remembered as 
the "Education Premier". These words are now a sick joke.

Carr introduced the Premier's Reading Awards for primary schools 
students at the same time as he was undermining the great work of 
teachers.

Teacher shortage

One of the issues behind the campaign by the NSWTF is a looming 
teacher shortage and the impact this will have on public 
education.

The average age of teachers is 50 years. Around 40 per cent of 
teachers in NSW will most likely retire in the next five to ten 
years. Over two-thirds of principals in NSW will also retire in 
this period.

Teaching has become more stressful in recent years while teachers 
are expected to take responsibility for more administrative tasks 
than previously.

The "Work, Time, Life Survey" by the ACTU highlighted teaching as 
one occupation where large amounts of unpaid overtime is common.

Many other changes have taken place, including to the curriculum.

With a marked increase in social problems and increased tension 
and inequities in society, students bring more of these problems 
to the classroom. Students are more difficult to handle.

Teachers are expected to be educators, social workers, 
counsellors, conflict resolution mediators and role models.

These reasons and many more deter young people from choosing a 
career in teaching; they also very quickly drive significant 
numbers of younger teachers out of the profession.

Higher salaries for less stress can be earned elsewhere. In fact, 
one third of all trained teachers work outside the profession. 
Higher salaries are part of the solution.

The NSW Government claims it cannot afford to increase teacher 
salaries, yet it has reaped a windfall of $800 million in stamp 
duties. It spends $1 billion each year on private schools and 
bussing students to schools outside their local area.

It maintains the grossly inequitable "25 per cent rule" whereby 
any increase in capital expenditure to state public schools 
automatically translates into an equivalent sum of 25 per cent of 
the given amount being handed over to private schools.

Still the Government insists it cannot afford to fund a decent 
pay increase for teachers.

More strikes

Ms O'Halloran of the NSWTF described the decision by the IEU to 
take strike action last week as helpful to the union's arguments 
with the public, media and government. "However, in the wake of 
the IEU advertisement in the Sunday papers on May 23, the union 
clearly has other motivations. Among other things, the 
advertisements argued that non-government schools were part of 
the 'provision of public education'. The IEU's strike is 
therefore about linking their schools to ours in the full-funding 
debate."

None-the-less, in the struggle for proper recognition of the work 
done by teachers there is a common aim.

As The Guardian goes to press NSWTF teachers will hold 
another 24-hour strike on Wednesday, June 2. Union members will 
attend Sky Channel meetings in clubs around the state.

The NSW Minister for Education, Andrew Refshauge, provocatively 
told teachers: "Get back to school!"

Maree O'Halloran replied that the strike was going ahead and 
would include TAFE teachers. "We're asking the Premier Bob Carr 
to talk to us. He hasn't responded to us", she said.

Election issue

The present state of public education and its future are already 
election issues.

A demand must be placed on all political parties to make a 
commitment to acknowledge the importance of public education for 
the future of our country and to provide more resources for it. 
The share of the economic cake for public education must be 
increased.

In the 2004 Federal Budget, the military received more funding 
than education ($14.4 billion versus $14.2 billion).

The Communist Party has been campaigning for a ten percent cut in 
military spending to provide funding for essential services such 
as public education.

Support the teachers!

Teachers are to be congratulated for carrying this fight right to 
the heartless NSW Government.

The CPA calls for full support for the teachers, not just in 
their campaign for their justly deserved wage increases but in 
their brave defence of union rights and the public education 
system.

Keep the pressure on the Government! The wider trade union and 
community movements must reach out in support of the sterling 
work that teachers are doing for the future of education and the 
union movement.