The introduction of new regulations to teachers’ staffing in public schools has been met with a wave of disagreement by teachers, beginning with a stop work on April 8, and continuing with a promised strike on May 22, 2008.

 Khyiah Angel, relieving media officer for the New South Wales Teachers Federation, said that most of the 20,000 teachers who attended the stop work early-April signed in favour of further stop work and strikes in May unless government returns to negotiations.

According to a Department of Education and Training spokesperson, the new staffing procedures are designed to increase teachers’ opportunities in applying for a range of positions, while at the same time granting principals “greater opportunities to select the best possible teacher for their school.”

The new approach will allow school principals to choose their teachers with qualifications in line with classes’ requirement, replacing the old system of priority staffing. In priority staffing, teachers progressed through a priority list managed by the Teachers Employment Priority Scheme.

Geoff Scott, President of NSW Primary Principals’ Association said that NSW department will remove some transfers from one school to another, while others are set to remain. Priority transfers will stay in place, including those covering displaced teachers of classes where students drop out, making the teacher redundant. There are also transfers for teachers in “incentive areas” which find it difficult to attract teacher, and compassionate transfers, which cover illness and other misfortunes.

“There aren’t many huge changes. The new system is trying to give any school a chance of balance to have a range of teachers to choose who to be appointed.” Scott said.

According to the Department of Education and Training, the new system promises to provide “a qualified teacher in every class, in every location.” However, the NSW Teachers Federation believes that many schools would be at a disadvantage.

Bob Lipscombe, NSW Teachers Federation Deputy President, says the changes will result in a situation where many schools will not be able to attract enough suitably qualified teachers. Schools in hard to staff, remote and isolated areas will not attract teachers as they have in the past. Knowing that they now possess little prospect of transferring from them at a later date, new teachers will not apply in the first place.

Schools likely to be adversely affected include many in western Sydney, and most country areas. According to Lipscombe, until now many teachers applied for positions with the understanding that after three years they would be eligible for a transfer to other schools.

The Primary Principals’ Association has been talking with both the NSW Teachers Federation and the NSW Department of Education. “We are keen on seeing the working parties and participate in them,” Scott said.

The end of this term will determine the outcome of the dispute. According to Angel, the NSW Teachers Federation is seeking negotiation over the industrial agreement on staffing.  “At the moment the industrial agreement is enforceable but it expires at the end of this term and we are seeking a new industrial agreement or to extend the current one,” she said.

Image Courtesy of il Luca a Paris

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