Teachers go on strike

Teachers from public schools on the Peninsula joined their NSW colleagues, going on strike on Thursday, May 27, as did their Catholic counterparts from St. John the Baptist, Woy Woy on Friday, May 28.

Teachers from across the Peninsula met at Woy Woy station at 8.40am on Thursday, May 27 to catch the train to Sydney to March on State Parliament at 11am.

The strike comes after the NSW State Government made an application to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to reopen the case with the Teachers Federation claiming they do not have the money to give teachers a pay rise.

NSW teachers had already been awarded an interim 5.5 per cent pay rise, but were awaiting the IRC final decision on their pay increase.

President of the Ettalong Woy Woy Teachers Association, Mr Robert Landow, said: "Putting this into perspective, imagine the day before payday, your employer says: 'I can't afford to pay you the overtime you deserve, as I have spent all the firm's money on my mates and gambling. Sorry, but you are low on my priority list'.

"Now you know how teachers' feel.

"Teachers are incensed that we once had the same pay as a back bencher.

"Now they take home more than twice as much as us."

Mr Landow said the Teachers Federation wage increase case came to a conclusion in the Industrial Relations Court (IRC) six months ago.

"The Government's reopening of the salaries case is nothing more than direct political interference.

"This occurred five months after final submissions had been heard and an interim decision brought down which stated profound changes in teachers work had occurred and that a special case had been made out.

"The Full Bench stated on May 21 that the final decision was imminent before the Government gained leave to reopen the case."

Press release, May 27 Rob Landow, Ettalong, Woy Woy Teachers Association