Australian Education Union Tasmania has today launched a new campaign, urging the Rockliff Government and TasTAFE to keep their promises and deliver a give a fair go to all TasTAFE employees.
The Fair Go at TasTAFE campaign aims to address growing concerns among teachers and support staff, who feel undervalued and unsupported after being privatised out of the public service.
AEU Tasmania TAFE President Tristan Sabol said TasTAFE working conditions were under attack and teachers were burning out and voting with their feet.
“Teachers and support staff are walking away, and privatised TasTAFE Executives are making the problem worse by attacking the working conditions that are crucial in retaining teachers and support staff at TasTAFE,” he said.
“Cutting conditions is not a Fair Go at TasTAFE, and it’s putting the Fair Go for all Tasmanians at risk.”
Mr Sabol said AEU members are calling on the Rockliff Government and TasTAFE to deliver the promise to improve wages and conditions for current and future TAFE teachers, starting with a seven percent wage increase.
“The Rockliff Government promised two years ago to hire 100 extra teachers, with no loss of conditions – but we are losing as many teachers as we are hiring and TasTAFE is proposing cuts to conditions,” he said.
“TasTAFE and the Rockliff Government need to wake up and realise that retention and recruitment efforts won’t improve until working conditions do.”
The AEU’s Fair Go at TasTAFE campaign launch comes as the union and TasTAFE Executives commence negotiations for new TasTAFE employee Agreements.
Mr Sabol said AEU members would hold TasTAFE and the Rockliff Government to their promise of no cuts to conditions and had presented TasTAFE with a full list of positive improvements developed by teachers and support staff.
This includes:
- A manageable workload that prioritises student learning
- Retaining and attracting teachers and staff with salary increases of 7 percent in the first year and 5 percent in future years
- Superannuation that is competitive with tertiary education employers
- Career pathways for teachers and support staff
- Professional Development and Return to Industry provisions
“These improvements have been well supported by members in a recent member survey, and we believe they will assist in the retention and recruitment required to keep the promise of 100 additional TasTAFE teachers,” Mr Sabol said.
“By addressing member concerns, we believe TasTAFE can create an environment that values and empowers teachers and support staff, enabling them to deliver the best possible education and training to Tasmanians.”
Mr Sabol said the Australian Education Union was urging the Rockliff Government and TasTAFE Executives to listen to the concerns of teachers and support staff and support their positive program to provide a fair go for all at TasTAFE.
