Strikes in New South Wales: Teachers and transport unions accuse government of industrial action | New South Wales

[ad_1]

Unions representing teachers and public transport workers in New South Wales accuse the state government of a series of strikes taking place this week.

Thousands of commuters will have to make other travel plans as bus and train drivers take industrial action.

Strikes began on Monday with bus drivers in west-central Sydney quitting their jobs amid an ongoing equal pay dispute.

Bus drivers in the southwest of the city will also go on strike on Tuesday, before the two groups stage a coordinated two-hour walkout during Friday afternoon’s peak.

That same day, train drivers refused to drive foreign-made trains which provide three quarters of the network’s services.

Teachers and directors of public schools will also go on strike, accusing the government of failing to address unsustainable workloads, uncompetitive salaries and staff shortages.

“The NSW government is concerned about children missing a day, but we are concerned about children missing every day because there just aren’t enough teachers,” said NSW Teachers’ Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos on Monday.

The teachers’ workload was’ unmanageable ‘and a salary cap meant that their salaries did not’ reflect the skills or responsibilities they have ‘.

They want a salary increase of up to 7.5% per year to “start reversing the decline in teachers’ salaries compared to other professions”.

The union seized on government and departmental documents demonstrating a “significant and growing shortage of teachers” which forces them to teach outside their areas of expertise.

Gavrielatos said the government lacks a coherent strategy to fill 3,000 vacancies and recruit the 11,000 teachers the state will need over the next decade.

New South Wales trade union secretary Mark Morey said 1,200 bus drivers in the interior west were on strike Monday, protesting a two-tier wage system and cuts to public services. following privatization.

Transport Workers Union NSW Secretary Richard Olsen called on the government to demand that its contractor Transit Systems NSW negotiate with the union because “they brought privatization to this bus industry.”

“We have a two-step pay system here that doesn’t work,” Olsen said.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union NSW Secretary Alex Claassens said the government accepted an offer from Transit Systems that let workers at the same depots do the same jobs but earn different amounts, which was done for a purpose lucrative.

Government bus drivers were “essentially quarantined through the corporate structure” while new drivers were under different arrangements, leading to more expensive and more experienced drivers missing out. penalties and were “removed” from the job, he said.

RTBU also negotiated a new corporate bargaining agreement for train drivers after the old one expired in May.

Sydney Trains chief executive Matthew Longland said Tuesday’s strikes were disappointing after more than 40 meetings between Sydney Trains, NSW TrainLink and the union.

The union wants an end to privatization, the maintenance of safety standards and a commitment to maintain current hygiene standards without depending on contractors to provide them.

Longland said employees were offered a 2.5% pay rise, including the superannuation.

Transport for NSW said Tuesday’s strikes meant services would operate at reduced frequency on most routes, make additional stops at stations and take longer to reach their destinations.

Commuters are advised to plan ahead.

[ad_2]