School staff work to rule

By Stephen Robson

PERTH -- School support staff in Western Australia have begun a work-to-rule campaign to pressure the state government to increase the allocation for staff in the next budget.

With the government devolving education to the local level, one result has been to place more work on the support staff.

The 2000 administrative staff, library support staff and laboratory assistants, members of the State Public Services Federation, began their campaign on April 11.

In 1993, a joint committee between the Education Department and the SPSF recommended that 288 full-time equivalent staff be employed, costing $4.75 million. A fall-back position of 185 staff in the most urgent areas was costed at $3 million, SPSF organiser Kristin Berger told Green Left.

The state government has not acted on the recommendations.

The work-to-rule involves banning unpaid overtime, home work and working outside set duties.

A meeting between the SPSF and Education director-general Greg Black on April 13 failed to make any progress. The SPSF disputes committee will meet on April 19 to consider escalating the campaign, Berger told Green Left.

This article was posted on the Green Left Weekly Home Page.
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