Teachers throughout the Bega Valley will join colleagues across the state in a 24-hour strike action on Wednesday, May 4.
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The NSW Teachers Federation state executive made a unanimous decision last week to proceed with strike action in light of widespread teacher shortages and wage caps.
Local representatives of the NSW Teachers Federation will be hosting a strike action at Pambula Town Hall on Wednesday morning from 9.30am.
Sam Martin, music teacher at Eden Marine High School and representative for NSW Teachers Federation said there was a massive shortage of teachers in the Far South Coast and many on the ground were already at a point of complete burn out.
"We have got no staff coming in and if we don't make the jobs more attractive and in line with other like-minded professions, students won't have teachers in classrooms," Mr Martin said.
Having been a teacher for 15 years, Mr Martin said the dynamic in the job had changed significantly over that time and witnessing the devolution had been disheartening.
"The amount of other policies and procedures coming into play have had a huge impact. Not only that, but dealing with radically changed young minds... we need more time to prepare for that," he said.
"We don't want to take action, we would rather be in a classroom, not standing on the street, but we have been pushed to this point... what else can we do? We are in crisis and want to let the community know."
Mr Martin said the wage caps were infiltrating through to have bigger effects on small communities and that stronger investment in public education by the government would benefit communities as a whole.
A new poll of 10,000 NSW teachers released has found:
- 73% say their workload is unmanageable
- 70% are reconsidering their position due to workload
- 90% disagree that their pay reflects their expertise and responsibilities
- 89% say shortages are very significant
- 82% say shortages are leading to higher teacher workloads at their school
"I can't see how we can fix this without making the job more attractive," Mr Martin said.
"We need more capable people on the ground which requires investment. We can balance it all up so people are feeling they are supported and have a welcoming and fun job to go to.
"So many of us are at complete burnout point and are considering other options.
"The relationships with the kids are good, but we often can't offer enough support to them as we are either weighed down by taking on more or by administrative processes. The kids need kind, loving faces in front of classes," Mr Martin said.
Positioned further south of other regional action planned to take place in Batemans Bay and Queanbeyan, Mr Martin said it wasn't feasible for Far South Coast teachers to travel to attend those rallies, so teachers from Pambula, Eden and Merimbula would attend a satellite broadcast in Pambula on Wednesday.
NSW Teachers Federation president Angelo Gavrielatos said the Premier had failed students, their parents, and the teaching profession.
"If we don't pay teachers what they are worth, we won't get the teachers we need," Mr Gavrielatos said.
"That the government is pursuing a new award that seeks to impose a 2.04 per cent salary cap, with no change to the crippling working conditions experienced by the profession for a three-year period, is contemptuous.
"At a time when inflation is running at 3.5 per cent and predicted to grow, this would constitute a cut to teachers' real income."
Many schools have alerted parents that they will have minimal supervision on Wednesday due to the strike action.
Leah Szanto
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
Regional journalist covering the Far South Coast of NSW.
