Media release – Roger Jaensch, Minister for Education, Children and Youth, 21 September 2022
Union strikes force school closures
The Government has been advised that the Australian Education Union (AEU) has directed its members to participate in two-hour stop work action on Wednesday 28 September 2022 from 8.30 to 10.30 am in a plan which will disrupt students’ education and inconvenience parents.
As a result of the AEU’s action, there remains no option but for all public schools to close temporarily until after 10.30am on 28 September 2022.
With the Union encouraging staff across the State to participate in the stop work action, schools will be unable to provide adequate duty of care for students and therefore families will be required to arrange care for their children until 10.30am.
The Union’s actions will disrupt not only students and their learning but also families and their workplaces, many of which are small businesses.
Schools will be communicating with families in relation to this matter today.
The Government is committed to negotiating with the AEU in good faith and has done so for a number of months. As the AEU knows, good faith negotiations do not provide immediate agreement on all aspects, however, parties have been working towards a shared agreement, including discussions relating to workload, salaries and staffing.
The AEU knows that the Government has committed to making a wage offer to unions by the end of this week and the AEU’s stop work action is nothing but posturing for the sake of it.
If the AEU is truly committed to seeing a resolution for its claims, it will immediately call off this disruptive action to enable negotiations to continue and ensure children don’t miss out on learning next Wednesday.
Media release – Australian Education Union Tasmania, 21 September 2022
AEU Tasmania statement
The Department of Education has directed that “all schools will be temporarily closed for educational instruction until after 10.30am on 28 September 2022.”
Comment below from Australian Education Union Tasmania President David Genford:
The AEU has previously paused industrial action on the Government promise that it would provide fixes to untenable workloads in schools, yet nothing was achieved, and student learning continued suffering.
For 14 months educators have been calling for much needed education reform, yet all the State Government has done is sat back and watched as teachers and support staff burnt out working tirelessly through a pandemic.
Record numbers left the profession last year over untenable working conditions and teachers are now reporting more than ever that they are considering resigning unless real change occurs.
Student learning conditions depend on positive change occurring today; and that’s what next week’s stop work meetings set out to achieve.
Less than two hours for stop work meetings next week – to allow for better working and learning conditions to be achieved – is insignificant when compared to the daily disruption caused by the education failings of this state government.
AEU Tasmania welcomes the support of parents and community groups such as the Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations (TASSO) who support this stop work action and understand the need for more investment today for better education tomorrow.
Josh Willie MLC, Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years, 21 September 2022
Liberals’ contempt for teachers forces school closures
The Liberal government’s decision to close Tasmania’s public schools for two hours next Wednesday rather than negotiate for decent wages and conditions for teachers and support staff shows the depths of its contempt for the state’s school staff.
The government’s spurious claim that there is no option but for all public schools to close temporarily until after 10.30 am on Wednesday 28 September ignores the fact that it is refusing to take steps to improve conditions in schools.
Teachers and school support staff have done the heavy lifting throughout Covid and have been waiting more than a year for the government to address increased workloads, staff shortages and competitive pay that keeps up with the cost of living.
It is little wonder they are fed up with being dismissed and ignored while the government puts all its efforts and a significant amount of public money into an unnecessary new stadium.
Stop work action is a last resort for teachers and support staff who are at their wits’ end trying to improve education outcomes for Tasmanian students.
Tasmanian educators deserve better than being taken for granted and then blamed by a government that refuses to negotiate in good faith.
It is time the Liberal government got its priorities right and started delivering for Tasmanians, including supporting our hard working school staff, instead of making constant excuses.
Media release – Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations, 20 September 2022
Supporting Education
TASSO commends the Australian Education Union Tasmania Branch on its Lifting Learning paper – an initiative presenting solutions to Tasmania’s overstretched public education system. The paper highlights key issues while calling for action to ensure its proposed solutions lead to positive outcomes for all state school students in Tasmania.
Among its recommendations, the paper, calls for improved recruitment and support of new teachers, increases to in-class support and increased access to allied health services. These improvements can only help to reduce bullying, increase parent engagement, promote attendance and student retention in the classroom and, overall, improve education and wellbeing outcomes.
TASSO are disappointed that no Lifting Learning solutions have been implemented and understand that teachers feel they have no other option than to take stop work action to have their voice heard.
We support educators in taking this action.
By making this investment, our children can get the support and education they deserve ensuring no student falls through the cracks. This is about investing for our future communities.
