Salary package for teachers and support staff in Gov't school announced

16/2/98

Education Minister Colin Barnett today announced details of a salary increase and seven-point incentives package for teachers, administrators, administrative and support staff in Western Australian Government schools after co-operative negotiations with representative unions and professional associations.

Mr Barnett said Cabinet had today agreed on the package which would be offered through a combination of collective workplace agreements and an enterprise bargaining agreement.

He said negotiations over the past few months between himself, the Education Department and the representatives bodies had produced the basic principles of the package which would now be further refined and then put to staff by the State School Teachers' Union (SSTUWA), the Community and Public Sector Union (CPSU) and the WA Principals' Federation.

Mr Barnett said the package addressed improvements to wages and conditions and gave commitments to a number of incentives to improve the quality of education in schools.

School staff would be offered the following benefits to their wages and conditions:

·      a six per cent salary increase over two years (three per cent plus three per cent) for teachers, administrators, administrative and clerical staff;

·      an increase of 20 minutes in Duties Other Than Teaching Time (DOTT) for primary teachers from the current 160 minutes to 180 minutes per week; and -

·      commitment to a country incentives package from 1999 to attract and retain quality teachers in isolated rural schools, including more flexible leave conditions, better housing and relocation costs to address the special staffing needs of schools in isolated areas;

Incentives within the package to improve the quality of education in schools are:

·      a funding commitment to phase-in a reduction in class sizes - from a maximum of 30 in years 1 and 2 and 32 in year 3, to a maximum of 28 in 1999 and to 24 by 2003.

The Government will also promote investigation of reducing class sizes in year eight through an adjustment of the staffing formula;

·      allocation of additional support staff in schools from July 1998 to assist with administration duties;

·      commitment to a Leadership Centre for Principals, new professional development for principals and aspiring leaders, and professional development on occupational, health and safety issues relevant to schools; and -

·      additional support for schools to integrate students with disabilities.

Mr Barnett said he was pleased that negotiations had been undertaken in an environment of goodwill and he was confident that teachers, administrators, administrative and support staff would agree to the package.

He also thanked the State School Teachers' Union, the WA Principals' Federation and the Community and Public Sector Union for their efforts in producing a package that not only focussed on salary increases, but tangible benefits that would improve the quality of education in Government schools.

"The negotiations have been taking place over a number of months without any disruption to the smooth running of our schools and build on what has been a very successful start to the 1998 school year," Mr Barnett said.

The package comes after a number of commitments to boost the teaching profession in WA.

These include: $1.5 million to establish the Centre for Excellence in Teaching; $3.9 million for the P2000 project which is modernising the Education Department's human resource management system; the Career Change Project to assist teachers into careers outside of teaching; $1 million for scholarships to encourage high achieving secondary graduates into teaching careers; and an overhaul of the department's current personnel practices and policies.

Mr Barnett said he hoped the representative unions and professional associations would encourage their members to carefully consider the Government's offer and respond promptly.

Media contact: Justine Whittome, (08) 9222 9699