New Education Union launched

This is a significant day in the history of Tasmanian education workers. The Tasmanian Education Association (TEA) was launched today in all schools, colleges and state government education campuses.

TEA president, Greg Brown, said that it was a significant day for Tasmanian education workers.

The TEA brings to an end the AEU’s monopoly on the union membership of teachers and teacher aides and will also offer support and protection for administrative/clerical and miscellaneous staff.

“This is one of the strengths of the TEA,” said Mr Brown. “For the first time all education employees at a single workplace can be part of the one union. This is especially important when systemic change affects everybody. Now schools will be able to present their point of view as one voice.”

Mr Brown said that many members of the traditional unions were fed up and wanted matters addressed and not be paraded out as ambit claims when new award negotiations are due.

“There are too many issues that have been festering for too long,” he said. “Teachers want movement on issues such as the control of disruptive and violent children in classrooms and of course the inadequate funding and organization of inclusion of special needs students in mainstream classes has to be addressed now.”

Mr Brown also indicated that the TEA would immediately start campaigning for the reunification of TAFE by rejoining the Polytechnic and the Skills Institute. The relics of the failed Tasmania Tomorrow experiment which has cost Tasmanian taxpayers over $70 million.

The TEA believes that the launch of the Tasmanian Education Association today will prove to be a watershed in Tasmanian union affairs.

“Unions will have to give service and value for money,” Mr Brown said. “They will have to go out and talk to their members and find out what they are really thinking. If they don’t, they will lose them,” he said.

Greg Brown, the former Secondary Colleges President. was responsible for the stunning campaign against the ill fated Tasmania Tomorrow that nearly brought down the Bartlett government in the last state elections.