WA teachers step up campaign

WA teachers step up campaign

PERTH — At a mass meeting on July 27, teachers voted to extend their campaign for better education with a series of rolling strikes. Teachers will stop work for two hours each Thursday, beginning with the Peel district near Mandurah.

The SSTUWA (State School Teachers Union of WA) has been campaigning since the start of the year for improvements in education funding and a 20% pay rise for WA teachers, who have received no wage increases for several years. Teachers have imposed bans on voluntary work — the main thrust of the campaign to date.

The decision to strike came as a result of the latest offer from the Liberal state government — a 15% rise over three years plus numerous trade-offs in work conditions which would have adversely affected both teachers and students. The package also offered a bonus to teachers who left the award and signed individual workplace agreements.

From GLW issue 196