Campbelltown TA President Susan Greaves, Liverpool TA President Geoff Brown and Fairfield TA President Glenn Hokin had a letter for the Minister and another for the Director-General.

Industrial action on staffing to continue

By

Gary Zadkovich

Federation members around the state have followed up the strongly supported statewide strikes on April 8 and May 22 with locally-organised stopwork protest action in the staffing campaign.

On May 29, 50 teachers representing Inner City, Inner West, Canterbury-Bankstown and Eastern Suburbs Teachers Associations protested outside the electorate office of Carmel Tebbutt, the former Education Minister. Teachers made clear their disdain for the way the NSW Labor Government has broken its election pledge to maintain a statewide staffing system through an industrial agreement with our union.

Further action on May 30 highlighted the Department's removal of Federation representation on selection panels under the imposed staffing procedures. Members at Kyogle High School stopped work for two hours to demand a representative on the panel to select their new principal. Teachers voted to support further industrial action and local community campaigning on the issue.

In Dubbo, all three high school campuses stopped work for up to 30 minutes to protest the denial of Federation representation on the panel to select the next college principal. Media coverage for these stoppages was extensive. Local TV and radio stations covered the action, as did the local press.

When interviewed by local radio 2DU that morning, a Federation Officer explained how teachers were the only members of the local school community to be denied representation in the selection of principals. The radio interviewer found the Department's position "absolutely astounding" and said he would phone the Minister for an explanation. In an interview that afternoon, Minister Della Bosca had difficulty defending the Department's position and eventually conceded that teachers should be represented on panels.

The Minister's concession is testimony to the ridiculous and insulting position taken by his Director-General, Michael Coutts-Trotter, on this matter. The Director-General believes it is inappropriate for a teacher to participate in the selection of someone who will become that teacher's supervisor. What does this say about every appointment under local selection for the last 15 years? What does it show about the employer's regard for teachers' professionalism and ethics?

And what hypocrisy from a person who was appointed to his nearly $400,000 a year position as Director-General without any process at all. No advertisement. No curriculum vitae. No interview.

It wasn't only the Minister who had trouble defending the imposed staffing procedures on the last day of Education Week. In Wollongong, the Director-General had sought a visit to Keira High School for that afternoon. He was duly shown around the school and observed students at work and in discussion at an SRC meeting. He then met with the Federation Committee and the principal to discuss staffing policy. He probably wished he hadn't. At every turn, teachers told him about the damage that would be caused by his changes. He was told that his term as Director-General would be defined by his destructive stand on this issue.

On leaving the school, the Director-General was confronted by more than 40 teachers on the footpath outside. Teachers from neighbouring Wollongong TAFE were joined by colleagues from Illawarra and Campbelltown schools in yet another protest. The Director-General was reminded that he had transferred from the Department of Commerce. His defence on this point was pathetic. He said he hadn't transferred. He said he had been "asked" to head the DET.

On June 3, 30 teachers from St Marys-Mt Druitt Teachers Association struck for the day and travelled to the Department's head office. After occupying the foyer and demanding to see a DET representative, a Deputy Director-General eventually met with a small delegation of teachers. The meeting ended when one teacher declared the final message for the day: "Remember this, we are here for our students!"

On June 11, 120 teachers struck for 24 hours to travel in from Camden-Campbelltown, Liverpool and Fairfield Teachers Associations to protest outside the offices of the Department and the Ministry. The teachers moved into the foyer of Governor Macquarie Tower and demanded to meet with the Minister or a representative. Chanting ensued as teachers insisted on their rights to speak to someone about their concerns. Eventually, the Minister's chief of staff appeared and received a letter of protest. The teachers then marched across Farrer Place to the Department's head office. After similar action, the Department agreed to meet with the three Association Presidents.

Teachers from 10 schools on the far north coast took strike action on June 12 to protest the Minister's attendance at the Secondary Principals' Council conference at Tweed Heads. More than 150 teachers attended the rally outside the venue and accepted an offer from the Minister to meet with a small delegation after he addressed the conference. Tweed Teachers Association representatives met with the Minister for 35 minutes to explain their concerns.

This locally organised stopwork action will intensify as Federation members take industrial action to support colleagues who are denied transfers by the changed procedures. In schools with vacancies, Federation will challenge any decision to advertise positions that would have been filled on transfer under the previous staffing agreement.

If the dispute is not resolved beforehand, statewide strikes will continue next term. June Council endorsed rolling stoppages to commence in August with Sky Channel meetings of up to two hours. If necessary, further stoppages will follow on a fortnightly basis until the end of term.

Unlike the Ministers and Directors-General who swing through that revolving door of NSW public education leadership every year or two, Federation members serve public education for decades. With all the accumulated knowledge and experience that our teachers have, one thing is certain: we will not abandon our students and our colleagues in public schools across the state to such foolhardy policy changes as those currently imposed.

As Maurie Mulheron, the principal of Keira High School, said at the strike rally on May 22, the Federation will fight "for as long as it takes" to achieve a staffing agreement that protects teachers' rights at work and students' rights to a quality public education.

Gary Zadkovich is the Senior Vice President.

The Premier must act

Principals' committee gives unanimous support

Della backtracks on panels

90 per cent of teachers oppose staffing changes

DG out-numbered

Staffing words haunt Tebbutt

Incentive transfers are the key

Real incentives needed

SPC staffing decisions contradictory

Teaching out of subject area and oversized classes

For further information

June 2008 contents