About 90 per cent of teachers at Tenterfield High School went on strike last Thursday, along with teachers from The Sir Henry Parkes Memorial, Jennings and Mingoola Public Schools.
President of Tenterfield Teachers Association of NSW Teachers Federation, Tim Clay, said Tenterfield High School operated on skeleton staff and students were supervised on the day.
Mr Clay said teachers felt it was unfair that their pay increases, like other public servants’ including police and ambulance officers, should be capped to 2.5 per cent, when inflation was 3.6 per cent.
“If teachers say they want to equal the inflation rate, there would have to be cuts to our conditions that we’ve fought hard for, like long service leave and annual leave, to help pay the increases. We don’t think that’s fair,” he said.
“If you don’t support your public service employees, then that effect is passed on to the general public.
“This is most denigrating to our conditions and our pay itself.”
A NSW Department of Education and Communities spokesperson said no schools in the Tenterfield and border area were listed as being non-operational, which meant all local public schools either operated as normal or provided supervision for students who attended.
The strike was part of a state-wide movement.
“At schools which were not fully operational because teachers took part in the strike, had the learning programs of students disrupted. It also inconvenienced parents who had to make alternative arrangements for their children. The Department realised how disruptive this strike would be to students and parents, which is why the Department took the matter to the IRC to try to stop it,” the Departmental spokesperson said.
Story: Rebecca Brown
