"Don't tell us we're second rate!"

By Gary Zadkovich
Media Officer

Public education teachers are outraged that their counterparts in Catholic schools have been awarded salaries increases of up to 7.5% more. Witnesses for the NSW Teachers Federation in the public education case, and the presidents of the peak principals groups, will today explain their response to the decision by the Industrial Relations Commission.

Maree O'Halloran, Teachers Federation President, said:

"Teachers in the public education case gave extensive evidence, were cross-examined exhaustively, and their evidence was accepted by the Commission as constituting a 'compelling' work value case. Their counterparts from Catholic schools did not even appear in court, yet they gained significantly higher increases.

"What was the difference? The Catholic school employers agreed that their teachers deserved much more. The NSW Government opposed our teachers at every step.

"Today's 1.00 pm media conference follows our requests last night for Dr Refshauge, the Minister for Education and Training / Acting Premier, to urgently meet with us. He has refused to make himself available, even though we have said we will meet anytime today and over the long weekend.

"We are demanding that the NSW Government apply to the Commission to re-open the public education salaries case, to rectify the disappointing 6.5% increase awarded on Wednesday and to increase public education teachers' salaries in line with those awarded to Catholic school teachers yesterday.

"This is crucial to the future of quality public education in NSW. We will not tolerate a situation that relegates public education teachers to a lower status than their private school counterparts.

"The NSW Government and Department of Education and Training must act urgently to redress this situation."

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