Photos: Prathamesh Deshpande
Around 70 Esperance public school teachers staged a “stop work” meeting at the Esperance Bay Yacht Club this morning at 9.30.
Esperance Senior High School principal Ian Masarei said on the school’s Facebook page that this “industrial action may see teachers stop work, meaning some will not be teaching at the direction of the union”.
“At (ESHS), the strike action will occur for the first few hours of the morning and teachers will be back in classrooms ready to teach period four at 12.30pm,” he said.
“I want to reassure you that despite this action, our school will remain open all day.
“However, there may be some disruption to normal teaching and learning programs, period one to three, when we will arrange for the provision of supervision and modified activities.”
Mr Masarei said regular teaching and learning would recommence period four when the strike action concluded.
“The Department of Education has assured me that they are working as hard, and as fast as they can to reach a resolution with the unions,” he said.
“Every effort is being made to minimise future impact on all schools.”
Nulsen Primary and Ravensthorpe District High schools announced they were to remain “partially closed”.
“Primary classes from Kindy to Year 6 remain open, secondary classrooms will be closed until 12.30pm,” a Facebook post on the RDHS Parents and Citizens page said.
The State School Teachers’ Union of WA president Matt Jarman said the Union was preparing to take “protected industrial action, with a strong turnout expected in regional WA”.
He said the SSTUWA advised its members to stop work for half a day after failing to make adequate progress in negotiations with the Department of Education over a new pay and conditions offer.
Mr Jarman said teachers were overworked and under paid.
“Teachers and school leaders have been leaving the public education system in droves,” he said.
“Our members have accepted four years of wage freezes during a time of high inflation and ever-increasing workloads caused mainly by having to manage increasingly complex classrooms.
“WA’s public school teachers were once the highest paid in Australia, but our members have slipped in the national rankings.
“If we want to attract and retain the best teachers in WA, particularly in the regions, they need to be paid adequately and have manageable workloads.”
In a letter to parents, Mr Jarman said the Union wanted the public education system “fixed”. “We want it fixed for the benefit of teachers, principals and above all for students,” he said.
“This is the first stop work action teachers have taken in over a decade. That’s how serious the situation has become for our members.”
Mr Jarman said he was expecting a strong turnout from members in around 20 regional locations, from Esperance to Fitzroy Crossing.
“Many of the issues being faced in our schools, particularly in relation to workload issues and lack of support, have an even greater effect on our members in regional and remote areas,” he said.
“It’s important for the voices of regional teachers and school leaders to be heard on April 23, as the union continues to push for an adequate pay and conditions offer from the State Government.
“We do understand there may be some impact on parents, but we hope they understand it’s a necessary step to ensure our members’ concerns for their children’s education are heard.”
WA Education minister Tony Buti said: “we value our teachers, and we want them to be paid appropriately under conditions that allow them to teach”.
“We have been bargaining in good faith and have made an offer that would provide more money for teachers, improve conditions and provide more support for them in the classroom,” he said.
“I would strongly encourage the union to come back to the negotiating table so we can finalise an agreement.”
