Major campaign issues for 2008

Today, a fax was sent to all schools detailing the staffing dispute and the other major campaigns for 2008. A copy of this fax is reproduced and a pdf is attached of the feature in the latest Education where members express their views about the importance of a statewide staffing system to their schools.

Fax to: FEDERATION REPRESENTATIVES cc Principals, All Schools, OCAA

Re: Staffing Dispute and 2008 Federation Campaigns

Dear Colleagues

The Federation is concerned to ensure all Fed Reps are well briefed regarding the existing schools staffing dispute and the other significant campaigns that will need to be undertaken during 2008.

There is no new staffing agreement. Amongst the changes that the Federation opposes, the DET is proposing to abolish merit selection from within current principals, expressions of interest for executive other than principals and to phase out the rights of teachers to service transfer. The DET is also proposing to introduce the power of veto to stop priority transfers being placed into particular vacancies.

The present negotiating position of the DET means that industrial action is almost inevitable. NSW Teachers Federation Council on 9 February resolved that:

"Federation's state council on 8 March 2008 will determine a course of sustained, statewide political and industrial action, including stopwork Sky Channel meetings before the end of term 1."

This stopwork Sky Channel will bring together the major campaigns for 2008:

i) To guarantee secure teacher staffing for students in over 2,200 public schools in NSW by signing an acceptable staffing agreement for another three years.

ii) To increase the salary levels of the whole profession by at least 5% per annum salary and 1% per annum superannuation.

iii) To employ additional permanent teachers in public schools, TAFE, AMES and Corrective Services to address workload and better meet the needs of students.

iv) To ensure teacher qualification standards are maintained in TAFE and schools.

If your school Federation branch has not yet met to vote on the staffing recommendation sent out in week 1 this term, please do so. Thanks to all schools who have already supported this recommendation.

Additional information will be sent to schools in TEFED and additionally in a special Staffing Dispute mailout.

Please ensure your school is represented at your Association meetings and arrange for your Organiser to address a meeting at your school on this matter if you have not already done so.

Yours sincerely

John Irving
General Secretary

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Last Modified: 12 Feb 2008