AEU Tasmania Branch Council’s extraordinary meeting held this evening agreed that the most recent Government offer on workload and salary was unacceptable and failed, yet again, to take seriously key concerns of members.
Work-to-rule industrial action will continue with a final deadline of 10 December for Government to present an improved offer while plans are developed for escalated industrial action during Term 1 of next year.
“The offer remains completely unacceptable and Government has failed to grasp the key point that teacher workload overload is bad for students, as well as teachers,” said Terry Polglase, AEU Tasmanian Branch President.
“They have failed to properly address key no-cost items such as quarantined five hours’ preparation and planning time which is focussed on quality education and the individual learning needs of students.”
“The Government is also seeking to withdraw its formal recognition of the out-of-hours work that teachers perform to run activities such as camps, socials and sporting events.”
“Parents would agree that this rich range of activities is important to their child’s holistic education and a proposal to effectively exploit the good will of teachers by not recognising the time involved does not support quality education.”
The Government’s offer on salary has not changed and would relegate Tasmanian teachers to lowest paid in the country and remains unacceptable.
AEU Branch Council has scheduled a final extraordinary meeting for 12 December 2013 where any improved Government offer will be considered.
If there is no resolution at this meeting then escalated industrial action is planned for Term 1 of 2014.
Terry Polglase, AEU Tasmanian Branch President.
