Overwhelming support for teachers' strike

By Nicolle Berell SYDNEY — On March 7, NSW teachers struck in support of their demand for a 12% pay rise with no productivity trade-offs. More than 2500 teachers packed Town Hall in one of several strike meetings that took place across the state to discuss further action. Teachers' salaries have fallen 25% since 1975, and conditions have declined markedly. Already teachers spend the bulk of their out-of-class time engaged in extracurricular activities: attending meetings, acting as mediators between the school and the community, counselling and often even acting as the school janitor. The result is a lowering in the standard and quality of education. The Carr Labor government is prepared to discuss a pay rise only if it is offset by productivity increases. It had proposed a 6% pay rise, 3% between now and 1997, and 3% some time before 2000. The March 9 Sydney Morning Herald reported that the government would fund the 12% wage rise by cutting up to 2000 teaching positions. Teachers would have to take extra periods, fewer casual teachers would be employed, sick leave would be halved, and some executive positions would be abolished. Teachers Federation president Denis Fitzgerald criticised education minister John Aquilina for his refusal to be specific on how many teaching positions would be lost and for "finishing off former Liberal education minister Terry Metherell's agenda". On March 8, Fitzgerald warned that as many as 2496 jobs may be axed under the government's plan. Teachers at the strike meetings endorsed a plan of action if their wage rise demand is not met. They will distribute and letterbox material to gain community support; hold a half-day stoppage on March 20; and hold a 24-hour strike on April 23, including a march and rally outside Parliament House. If their demands have not been met by the second school term, teachers will stop performing non-teaching duties. From Wollongong, Tony Iltis reports that a meeting of more than 1000 striking teachers voted to support and extend the Teachers Federation's campaign for salary justice. The meeting was linked by satellite TV with the federation's mass meeting in Sydney Town Hall, which was also linked with more than 100 other venues at which more than 60,000 teachers were meeting. The meeting unanimously carried the executive's resolution for a half-day and full day stoppage to win teachers' demands for wage justice. It also carried two motions from the floor. Overwhelming support was shown for a motion that the federation bus Illawarra teachers to Sydney for the April 23 march on parliament. The other, more controversial, motion, put by Russel Hannah from the TAFE sector, called on teachers not to limit the salary campaign to 12%, but to aim to restore teachers' wages to previous levels. This resolution also suggested "trading off" playground duty so that teachers could improve productivity by having more time to prepare for lessons.