Teachers vote to strike

Teachers from the Peninsula held a stop work meeting at Woy Woy Leagues Club on Tuesday, December 2.

The teachers voted to stop work for two days on Wednesday and Thursday, February 11 and 12.

They also voted to ban certain activities within their role as part of the industrial action.

These include annual school reports and all associated work, construction of portfolios of student work for reporting purposes, preliminary online HSC and SC entries, the pilot ISP web services project and school-to-work planning.

As well, examinations will be banned, including ELLA, SNAP, Computer Skills Assessments, the Basic Skills Test and the Primary Writing Assessment.

Also banned will be any meeting with school improvement officers to do with school performance data, any before or after school meeting about the items banned and the proposed electronic leave approval scheme (e-LAPs).

Ettalong Woy Woy Teachers' Association (EWWTA) president Mr Rob Landow said the teachers were striking as the Carr Government had gone back on its pre-election promise to promote public education.

"High ranking officers of the Department of Education and Technology (DET) have been making some outlandish claims under oath in the Industrial Commission.," he said.

"One such claim is that outcome-based reporting was not a DET initiative rather the teachers and individual schools had done this, and increased their own work load.

"All documents from DET are in Outcome based format," he said.

"Another claim by DET was that excursions, inter-school sports, outside school hours meetings and courses and student-led conferencing were not considered by DET to be part of a teacher's employment condition.

"Dedicated teachers are furious at these comments by our employer," said Mr Landow.

"At the meeting, there was a motion, that was strongly supported by the members, that if we do not receive a substantial pay rise then we will not continue these excursions and sports competitions."

"In other words, we will work to the DET's regulations stated under oath.

"The meeting also endorsed a petition showing the members' disgust at the way the DET has treated the teachers, parents and community organisations with the denigration of the Central Coast in the DET's restructuring plans.

"Other motions to have an indefinite strike were defeated.

"A motion to walk to Marie Andrew's office was also defeated as the members thought it a waste of time."

He said the Carr Government had repeatedly refused to acknowledge the increasing workload put on teachers and to accept that "we should be paid and valued accordingly".

"The Carr Government has also done nothing to address the concerns of the independent Vinson Inquiry into Education about the impending long-term shortage of qualified teachers.

"They have boasted a surplus of $619 million, promised not to denigrate the profession and have a new award in place by January 1, 2004.

"Unlike the Catholic System, who did not contest a 25% increase, the Labor Govt savagely attacked teachers in the Industrial Court.

"The Carr Govt has claimed that there are plenty of casual teachers available to fill the vacancies.

"What they don't say is that many are retired and only have their name on the books just in case and I, personally know some fantastic young teachers who will be going overseas - lured by better pay and conditions."

"Cut backs to Public Education and TAFE colleges in the Lifelong Learning and closures to the Central Coast DET Office have been vehemently opposed by parent, teacher and community bodies."

"Where is the purported Champion of the Central Coast, John Della Bosca? Where is Marie Andrews?" asked Mr Landow.

Email, December 5