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Western Australian teachers' dispute
Posted on Wednesday, February 11 @ 17:10:42 CST by spno

Australian politics WA Teachers Union leadership fails members yet again!
By John Gowland, WA teacher and SP Perth

In January teachers in WA received a nine page document outlining the offer made by the State Government to the executive of the State Schools Teachers Union with a recommendation to accept.

In order to catch up to other workers the union campaigned for a 10% per year pay rise. What we have been offered is 3% with some small incentives for experience teachers to stay in schools. However the biggest issue for teachers was workload and in that area there was very little. Offering to count home rooms as teaching load is hardly a reduction in workload. This amounts to 20 minutes reduction in class contact time every three years. The document did not even state the percentage rise because to quote an inside source It would not look good!

The union leadership is arguing that this is the best that can be achieved at this stage. If the union had continued with the industrial action the State Government would have taken the union to arbitration where they claimed we could have been offered less. This is by no means the case. NSW teachers were taken to arbitration and got a better deal of 5.5% per year.

The threat of arbitration has been used by the union leadership for years not to run an aggressive campaign in the union, with other unions and in the community. There is widespread anger amongst teachers in WA with the union. Yet again we have been marched up the hill only to be marched down again. The feeling is that every three years it is the same. The union leadership carries out a half hearted campaign the reps and members on the ground respond brilliantly with industrial action and huge demonstrations then the leadership goes into secret deals with the State government and asks the members to accept a 3% rise with little or no reduction in workload.

In November the Executive called a one day strike, the first time in many years and not only did members close down almost every school but a third, 7,000 rallied outside parliament house. Yet the Executive allow arguments to circulate that not all schools went on strike and that some members just won’t take industrial action. These are only a minority.

There have been resignations from the union by some members because of the constant failure of the leadership in Executive to run effective campaigns in all schools, in the community and with other unions. The leadership leave these campaigns to school based union reps.

The leadership are asking members to look at their own individual pay increases in the deal and are playing on individual members forgetting about the lack of improvement in reducing workload and hoping members see that a few hundred dollars a year will persuade them. With disillusionment with the leadership members could vote for the deal. This is not the way to lead a union. On the other hand there could be a huge vote against the deal.

The call is being made for a more determined leadership that will not cave in at the slightest threat by the State government.

The issue of a huge increase in workload over the past decade needs to be addressed as does the increasing falling behind in real income.

Many teachers are prepared to start a rank and file movement which will campaign in the branches for a more responsive and determined leadership.

This rank and file movement should make a clear break from Labor, although our union is not affiliated to the ALP the leadership do help at times of election, some being members.

Officials should be on an average teachers wage or at least not take a pay cut but earn no more than they would have at a school.

There should be a constant dialogue with members especially during negotiations.

 



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