Stability and security for teachers and students under threat

By Gary Zadkovich

If the school staffing system is abolished or substantially dismantled, the way will be cleared for the implementation of local hire and fire, individual contracts and limited tenure.

In the immediate aftermath of the Federal Coalition Government's defeat, NSW teachers should justifiably expect that their rights at work will be protected by state and federal Labor governments.

Not according to the people in charge of the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET).

Federation is concerned the Department is planning to abolish the centralised transfer system and open nearly all positions up to local selection.

This approach indicates a gross misunderstanding of the importance of a transfer system in ensuring security and stability for teachers and students in NSW public schools.

Significantly, it is in stark contrast to the views of Education Minister John Della Bosca when he addressed Federation's August Council. The Minister said he understood "the way the staffing agreement works and why it's of value both to public education and to teachers".

Federation has been pressing for months for negotiations on a new schools staffing agreement. The union's aim is to have a new agreement in place before the current one expires at the end of term 1 next year and the 2008-09 staffing operation commences.

DET has deliberately thwarted any progress. On November 15, Federation met with the DET to commence negotiations but it had no proposal to put.

After a further two weeks of seeking negotiations, Federation lodged a dispute notification on November 30 with the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to contend that DET was not acting in good faith.

On December 1 Federation Council endorsed a resolution to initiate a major industrial and political campaign to achieve a new staffing agreement. Federation Representatives are to convene meetings on the first day of the 2008 school year to endorse a resolution on this matter.

It is hoped that the history of schools staffing since the Scott Report (1989) and Your School's Right To Choose (1992) under a NSW Coalition Government, and the pivotal role played by teachers in the community-based campaign against the federal Coalition Government's WorkChoices legislation, is not lost on the NSW Labor Government.

The NSW Government should understand that teachers will oppose attempts to destroy their rights to transfer and undermine their students' rights to be taught by a qualified teacher, regardless of geographical location and other factors that impinge on a school's ability to attract and retain staff.

This is a fundamental equity issue in NSW public education.

A staffing system based on transfers is the proven means of ensuring statewide teacher supply, curriculum continuity, and stability and security for students. If such a system is abolished or substantially dismantled, the way will be cleared for the implementation of the agenda that we just defeated in the federal election -- local hire and fire, individual contracts and limited tenure. This teachers' rights at work campaign will be fought on the strength of nearly two decades of successful campaigning and negotiation. This history has yielded a current staffing agreement that balances the complexities of a statewide staffing system.

It facilitates a wide range of appointments, including priority transfers (nominated, incentive, compassionate), service transfers, teachers resuming from leave without pay, appointment from the employment list, Permanent Employment Program (targeted casual) positions, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander priority appointments, Targeted Graduate Program positions, scholarship holders and accelerated teacher trainee positions.

The current agreement's hallmarks are flexibility, responsibility and an effective mix of school level and statewide decision-making. It provides the means for a state government and a state department to effectively recruit, retain, transfer and support a workforce of more than 50,000 teachers to meet the curriculum needs of students in more than 2200 public schools.

Dismantling this staffing system would allow politicians to absolve themselves of their responsibilities and set the ground for the implementation of the discredited policies of the former Coalition federal government.

This cannot be allowed to happen.

Gary Zadkovich is a Country Organiser

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December 2007 contents