It is easy for the public to
think that teachers should simply do their job and not use our children as
pawns in an industrial dispute. This is all the more so when a teachers strike
can impact on our everyday lives far more than nurses and midwives actions as
almost all children are in school, while only a small proportion of the
population are in need of healthcare during our disputes.
However, we know from our own experiences
in enterprise bargaining that no one takes you seriously until collective
strength is known. The actions of Victorian teachers are simply seeking to have
the Baiilieu Government take them seriously in negotiations. Like us,
they spent many months trying to reach an agreement before resorting to strong
action. Like us, if they end up in arbitration, they run the risk of losing
their provisions for maximum class sizes which will impact enormously on the
future educational opportunities of young Victorians.
Teachers and support staff are
holding stop work rallies most days across the state with over 90
participating Wednesday 23 October from across Lilydale, Yarra Ranges, Knox ,
Benalla and Seymour to support their claim around a replacement enterprise
agreement that provides fair wages and conditions.
So what is at stake?
Victorian teachers and support staff are:
-
Calling on
Premier Baillieu to stick to his promise to ensure Victorian teachers were the
best paid in Australia (watch the video)
-
Calling for
workload reduction measures including caps on class sizes and
increased preparation and correction time
-
Trying to put an
end to the excessive use of short term contracts which affect I in 5
teachers
-
Fighting to
prevent performance pay models which are not demonstrated to be linked to
improvements in student outcomes.
Like we have just encountered,
teachers are in a protracted battle with Baillieu Government, fighting for a
fair pay deal, control over their workloads, and to maintain the quality and
standards of education that Victorian children receive.
Show your support on their
Facebook page, by signing their online petition or drop into one of
their rallies.
