A plan for settlement

By

Maree O'Halloran

Settlement of the staffing dispute will require a statewide staffing system including genuine service transfers.

It's time for the Premier to act and end the staffing dispute. His government must, despite internal brawls and public fracas, turn itself to the affairs of the state of NSW.

A peace plan for resolving the dispute would be built on the principles of respect for the experience and capability of the teaching profession and a commitment to a curriculum guarantee for all students. Based on these principles, and recognising the impending retirement numbers, the Government could maintain a service transfer system and increase the number of locally-selected Permanent Employment Positions (for casual/temporary teachers). This mix of centralised and local staffing should be a satisfactory outcome for both parties to the dispute.

If the Premier refuses to act, Federation's campaign will continue including further statewide industrial action.

The education portfolio is rudderless and listing. The suspension of Minister John Della Bosca has delivered the sixth Minister since December 2001 with a potential Cabinet re-shuffle in the offing. Similarly, there have been four Directors-General in the same number of years, the last two having no experience or qualification in the portfolio at all. The result is a serious lack of accountability and no real leadership. John Della Bosca's "suck it and see" becomes even more problematic when understood against a backdrop of revolving Ministers and Directors-General.

Teachers who work in the system educating students and providing service in communities across NSW have loudly and clearly told the government that a statewide transfer system is needed. It is one of the necessary preconditions to ensure an equitable supply of qualified teachers to all schools in every part of the state. Without the transfer system, schools will be left to compete in a market for teachers. Some schools, in the words of an Education Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, on March 10, 2007 before the state election, will have "hundreds of applicants" and others will have "few, if any at all".

The fact that these words were uttered on behalf of the Iemma Government to Federation's Council shows that somewhere within the Government there are people who know that over time the Department's imposed staffing procedures will severely disadvantage some schools and some communities. Those schools and communities are likely to be the ones who already find it difficult to attract and retain staff. Thus, while governments should be in the business of redressing disadvantage, this government's new staffing policy is likely to exacerbate and accelerate a "two-tiered system" within public education.

On June 20, the Department of Education and Training made further changes to its staffing regime. Since the Department first announced its unilateral procedures, it has:

• removed the "right of veto" over incentive transfers which was originally in their procedures (March 2008)
• decided that it is now appropriate to have a teacher elected by the teaching staff on panels for promotions positions (June 2008).
• decided that the teacher with the highest number of transfer points will be given an interview if the position is advertised rather than filled by transfer (June 2008).

The changes do not maintain a statewide system of transfers and are clearly not sufficient to solve the dispute as the basis for an industrial agreement about staffing. However, the changes do indicate that the lobbying and industrial action by members is building pressure and starting to force movement.

Our campaign aims are clear:

• to maintain a statewide staffing system including genuine service transfers
• to obtain an acceptable industrial agreement about staffing to provide security and stability for teachers and students
• to hold back the full deregulation and devolution of staffing and "salaries budgets" as occurs in Victoria.

Congratulations once again to all members who have taken industrial action in this campaign.

To provide further central support, Federation has commissioned Professor Bob Walker from the University of NSW to provide an analysis of the efficiency and effectiveness of the new procedures. Professor Walker will also address Annual Conference about school maintenance and the privatisation of electricity.

As the year progresses, Federation will be drawing together three major campaigns: staffing, standards and salaries. The staffing component will include a statewide transfer system and the need for additional permanent teachers in the system. Amongst other things, additional teachers would allow more release time for teachers.

Federation has written to the Department of Education and Training and the Department of Corrective Services seeking scheduled meetings for salaries negotiations and a copy of the Departments' claims on its employees. Nurses in NSW are currently voting at branch level about a 3.9 per cent per annum over two years with the right to arbitrate certain aspects of their claim. Their new award would end in June 2010 before the next state election. The Public Service Association and the fire fighters currently have arbitration cases running with the fire fighters having received an interim of 2.5 per cent.

Finally, Annual Conference this year will develop a platform for delivering 21st century conditions for 21st century learning. One aspect of that platform must be a national standard and funding for rebuilding our public schools. In his landmark Inquiry into the Provision of Public Education in NSW in 2002, Professor Tony Vinson said:

"In so many instances the fabric of the public schools is simply unworthy of what is being attempted within them and fails to honour our society's obligation to its children."

In 2008 a report commissioned for the Australian Education Union showed that investment for building and facilities in public schools falls short by around $2 billion annually when compared to investment in private schools. The Rebuilding Public Schools 2020 report calls for a plan from 2009 to 2020 to invest $23 billion in capital works for our schools. This is a worthy plan for nation building and social inclusion which it is hoped that the Federal Labor Government will adopt.

Maree O'Halloran is the President.

For further information

June 2008 contents