School staff in work stoppage

TEACHERS, principals and support staff held their third state-wide work stoppage last week in a pursuit for a new workplace agreement.
More than 30,000 school staff from across the state stopped work on 14 February and met at the Hisense Arena in Melbourne and a regional rally was held in Mildura.
Many teachers across Casey participated in the work stoppage, and residents flocked to the Cranbourne Berwick News page to share their opinions on the issue.
Mel Izme said her son, who attends Grade 2 at Devon Meadows Primary School, was not affected but she agrees that many teachers deserve a pay rise.
“They are like parents to our kids,” she wrote.
“I think bonuses should be paid to teachers that have put 100 per cent in, not the ones that are grumpy all the time and have no passion for their job. They are molding my kid’s future.”
Violeta Atanasovska said she also supported teachers.
“I value what they do for my son and they provide a service that I could not provide.
“They need to be happy and paid for what they do and, yes, there are some that don’t do their job but that’s another story,” she wrote.
“Many work hard and put up with a lot. Let’s face it, many kids are not angels and most of us can’t deal with two to three kids; they have 26 and more for six and a half hours, five days a week.”
AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the dispute has been going on for over two years and it was time Premier Ted Baillieu showed some leadership and put a fair offer on the table.“The Victorian Government continues to spend $1453 less per student on education than the national average and has been responsible for over $2 billion in cuts and broken promises.
“Teachers in Western Australia and New South Wales at the top of the incremental scale are paid $7508 and $4991 respectively more than Victorian teachers for the same role. Victorian teachers are now the second lowest paid in the country.
“Close to half of our public schools still have classes of over 25 students, which makes it extremely difficult for teachers to provide each student with the individual attention they need.
“Further, almost one in five teachers (18 per cent) are currently on short-term contracts. This figure increases to 45 per cent for beginning teachers.”
Ms Peace said that education support staff remained the lowest paid in Victorian schools and received little or no recognition of their skills, experience and the crucial role they play.
She said many education support staff earn less than the minimum wage.
“The AEU put a significantly revised offer – of 4.2 per cent per year over three years – to the Baillieu Government in November.
“This offer was comparable to teacher salaries in NSW and South Australia and in line with the police deal in Victoria,” Ms Peace said.
“To ensure every Victorian student receives the education they deserve, we need to attract and retain the best quality teachers, principals and education support staff to our schools.
“We do not take industrial action lightly but, in this case, it is crucial to ensure quality teachers, principals and education support staff remain in this state and in our profession.”
The State Government did not provide a response before the News went to print.