By James Vassilopoulos and Nick Fredman
SYDNEY — In a historic united action, NSW teachers from state schools, TAFE colleges, independent schools and Catholic schools are set to strike on April 23. The central demand of the strike is for a 12% fully funded pay rise, with no trade-offs in conditions.
Dennis Fitzgerald, president of the NSW Teachers Federation, told Green Left Weekly that there has been an "unprecedented level of community support ... it comes through parent organisations, in opinion polls and anecdotal information".
Fitzgerald wrote in the March 18 edition of the NSWTF journal Education, "... the assault on the teaching service we felt under the Metherell agenda is now resonating within the thinking of the government ... the propositions are an all out attack on teachers and educational standards".
In 1988 Terry Metherell, the Liberal education minister, slashed 2500 teaching positions. In 1994, however, due to a strong industrial campaign by the teachers with community support, 1466 teacher positions were created. Premier John Fahey realised that he would not have a chance of being re-elected in 1995 unless he neutralised the teachers' campaign.
The NSWTF has had a pay claim with the Carr Labor government for about nine months now. On March 7, approximately 75% of all teachers struck, with more than 2500 teachers packing into Sydney Town Hall. Ninety-nine per cent of teachers voted in favour of the NSWTF executive motion calling for a March 20 half-day strike, an April 23 full-day strike and rally, letterboxing targeted electorates, radio advertisements and a ban on extracurricular activities in term two.
According to a bulletin put out by the NSWTF, teachers' real wages have declined by 25% in the last 20 years: in effect, teachers now work one term for free. Spending on education as a proportion of the government's budget expenditure has dropped by 20%. NSW state schools have the lowest per capita expenditure of any state or territory, just $4270.
No trade-offs
Education minister John Aquilina is now offering teachers a 7.1% fully funded pay rise, plus a 4.9% increase to be traded for a 21-point list of cuts to conditions. Among the possible cuts would be an extension of the school day, cuts to casual staff, cuts to sick leave by half, elimination of allowances and larger class sizes.
Fitzgerald told Green Left Weekly, "Economic rationalism manifests itself as trade-offs. We have rejected these. We will negotiate, but we will not sell out. Selling out is the process of shaving off working conditions to pay for salary increases. There can be no negotiated settlement. When the government takes full responsibility to adequately fund education, that is the settlement."
Two major parent organisations have now supported the teachers' campaign. The Federation of Parent and Citizens Associations of NSW "support a rise in excess to CPI and insists that this be supported without trade-offs".
Since independent teacher salaries are tied to state teacher salaries, the NSW Independent Education Union (NSWIEU) has voted to support the April 23 strike and to encourage its members to attend. The NSWTF and the NSWIEU have put out a joint press release stating that the two unions will mount a joint industrial and political campaign, and key to this will be the upcoming federal budget.
Resistance, the socialist youth organisation, is supporting the teachers' pay claim and intends to mobilise many of its high school members to attend the teachers' rally. Secondary students should contact Wendy Robertson on 690 1977 for further information.
Public interest
The teachers' campaign to date has been successful because of their rejection of trade-offs, their ability to mobilise thousands of teachers and their close links to the community. As Fitzgerald explained, "We have couched this campaign in terms of the public interest. It is in the public interest to have a strong public education system. To have a high standard education system, teachers must be payed adequately."
But there seems to be a confusion with their political or electoral strategy. So, for example, the NSWTF supported 40 preferred candidates in the recent federal election. The basis for selecting the preferred candidates was that they would lobby their caucus for a strong education system. Of those selected, 25 were from the Labor Party, yet Labor has cut education spending in real terms both federally and in the state.
According to Chris Spindler, Sydney branch secretary of the Democratic Socialist Party, "Both major parties are parties of economic rationalism. Both parties, whatever guarantees they give in opposition, will cut education, cut the public service and generally deliver to the business sector. The challenge remains for all of us, either unionists or progressive activists, to build and support a real workers party, which would deliver wage rises and improvements in conditions."