Will Hunter, Yorke Peninsula Country Times
Yorke Peninsula parents and students are waiting to learn if school will go ahead on Thursday, November 9, after the Australian Education Union decided to proceed with a planned strike that day.
The decision — announced at 7.30pm last night (Monday, November 6) — followed a third offer from the state government which promised a compounding three-year pay rises beginning with four per cent in year one, three per cent in year two and 2.5 per cent in the third.
Other conditions included measures to make it easier for educators to apply for funding for disabled students — representing a workload reduction of up to 20 hours per application — along with one hour of additional non-instructional time to be phased in over seven years.
It is expected most Yorke Peninsula schools and preschools which offer a service on Thursday will operate either as normal or with a modified program.
Letters confirming the operating status of schools and preschools will go out to parents and caregivers today (Tuesday, November 7), with sites such as Wallaroo Primary School already confirming they will not be impacted by the strike.
The Department for Education has also confirmed year 12 exams, which commenced this week, will continue as normal.
Minister for Education Blair Boyer said the $1.4 billion offer put forward by the government represented the biggest ever made to South Australian teachers.
“We have put a substantial step up to four per cent in the first year in direct response to the union’s calls to have something very early in the life of the agreement which deals with salary and cost of living — that is why it is there,”
Mr Boyer said. Mr Boyer said the phase in of additional non-instructional time would remain at seven years – consistent with previous offers – to allow for the recruitment of additional teachers to backfill lessons.
“The premier (Peter Malinauskas) and I have made it clear from the outset we’re not going to come at reducing the amount of class time for South Australian kids.”
Teachers spell second strike
Australian Education Union branch president Andrew Gohl said the executive could not accept the latest offer put forward by the government.
“Under these conditions, teachers in some schools still won’t see any real workload relief for seven years, and by that time, half will have already left the profession,” Mr Gohl said.
“The meagre 0.5 per cent difference in salary will see some educators worse off in real terms.
“If we don’t get this right, not only will we continue to lose our current workforce but fail to attract the next generation of workers as well.”
The decision comes after a state-wide ballot of AEU members last week showed 83 per cent were in favour of a strike.
This article appeared in the Yorke Peninsula Country Times, 7 November 2023.
