Noreen Navin, Sydney

NSW Teachers Federation president Maree O'Halloran

announced on May 21 that the union's executive would decide at its meeting on May 24 the date for a 48-hour strike of NSW public school teachers.

The strike is being called in response to the state Labor government's refusal to withdraw its application to the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to reopen the teachers' wage case, O'Halloran said.

NSW teachers were awarded an interim 5.5% increase by the IRC on December 19, effective from January 1, and are awaiting a final decision, due by June 30. They are seeking a 25% pay rise, while the government has offered only a 6% rise over two years.

On May 17, Premier Bob Carr said that his government's financial position had changed since December and the IRC needed to consider the issue of “affordability” in its deliberations on the final settlement of the teachers' pay claim.

Teachers were angered by what they saw as an attempt by the Carr government to pressure the IRC into making a final pay settlement much lower than their claim.

About 25 public schools across NSW were hit by wildcat strikes the next day in protest against Carr's comments.

“We are furious at Bob Carr's attempt to reopen this case and offer evidence that supposedly supports his claim the government can't afford to pay teachers what they deserve”, NSW Teachers Federation representative for Dubbo College Senior Campus Ross Mason told the May 18 Dubbo Daily Liberal.

[Noreen Navin is a teacher at Yagoona Public School].

From Green Left Weekly, May 26, 2004.
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