Teachers Union' urged to accept pay rise package

4/7/95

The State School Teachers' Union has been urged to expedite negotiations and accept the Government's 15 to 25 per cent pay rise package so that the third school term can start free of industrial disruption.

The union will meet with Education Department officials today as part of the on-going series of negotiations over the pay package which, if accepted, will make Western Australian teachers among the best paid in Australia.

Education Minister Norman Moore said the State Government had made a substantial contribution towards an enterprise agreement for teachers, and a further 10 per cent increase, on top of the 15 per cent, would be available through individual workplace agreements.

School administrators - principals, deputy principals, heads of department and program co-ordinators, would be able to achieve a 20 per cent pay rise, pending agreement on professional development in their own time, plus involvement in mentoring programs and system-wide policy development.

Mr Moore said that teachers who accepted the Government's basic offer would receive an annual pay rise of more than $5,840, bringing them to nearly $44,800 per year, with even more available if individual teachers were willing to trade-off current requirements such as doing professional development in school time.

Mr Moore said parents and students were fed up with the months of disruption caused by the union's ban on after school hours activities and the situation should be resolved to prevent any disruption to students coming up to exams in the important final half of the year.

"The Government has done its bit in producing this generous pay rise package and it is now the union's turn to show some goodwill," he said.

"We are coming up to the school holidays, and with some positive action, the union could end the disputation, lift the pointless bans and let teachers get on with what they do best - teaching children."

Mr Moore said parents had the right to be disappointed in the union's past tactics of ignoring Industrial Commission rulings by changing hats from its State to its Federal name.

"Hopefully this sort of manoeuvring is now in the past and it is encouraging that the union's negotiations with the department have been carried out in a general spirit of co-operation," he said.

Media contact:  Anabel Gomez  (09) 321 1444