John Gauci, Sydney
On October 26, members of the NSW Teachers Federation voted overwhelmingly to accept an offer from the state Labor government that will raise first-year teachers' annual pay to at least $50,000 and teachers at the top end of the scale to at least $75,000. Almost 19,000 votes were counted, with 98% in favour of the negotiated settlement.
The salary settlement is commensurate with the 4% per annum pay rise agreement the government made with nurses, public servants, police, health workers and firefighters. The government's offer followed negotiations between the union's officials, the education department, deputy premier John Watkins and education minister Carmel Tebbutt.
ACTU president Sharan Burrow and Unions NSW secretary John Robertson urged Premier Morris Iemma's government to make an unprecedented, early offer to NSW teachers so that the salaries issue could be settled without industrial action.
The teachers' current award does not expire until December 31, and in many past campaigns salary increases were not achieved until well after the expiry of the award. Indeed, for the majority of NSW public school teachers, this is the first salary agreement to be reached without industrial action.
In a statement posted on the Teachers Federation website on October 26, union president Maree O'Halloran wrote: "NSW Premier Morris Iemma appears intent on a new approach in industrial relations with the federation. This is in part due to his leadership style. It is also in large part because the federal government's industrial relations changes are worse than expected and likely to affect many state government employees, including teachers."
The new three-year award begins next January 1 and expires on December 31, 2008. Teachers at the top of the scale can expect a 13% pay increase, plus CPI/general wage movements. They will get a 4.5% pay rise from January 1, 4% from January 1, 2007, and 4.5% from January 1, 2008.
New teachers can expect an 8% pay rise at the bottom of the scale, plus CPI/general wage movements. They will get a 3% rise from January 1, 3% from January 1, 2007, and 3% from January 1, 2008
The pay agreement is fully funded with no trade-offs. Paid maternity leave will be increased from nine to 14 weeks.
From Green Left Weekly, November 9, 2005.
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