Yesterday the NSW State Government announced that NSW school teachers will benefit from a 6 per cent wage rise granted by the Industrial Relations Commission.

Later in the day, the NSW Teachers Federation claimed the Perrottet Government has today used the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to force its wages cap onto public school teachers without any meaningful negotiation with the profession.

Back to the NSW State Government.

The NSW Government welcomes the decision by the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to put more money into the pockets of the state’s teachers.

The IRC granted a six per cent increase in remuneration to teachers over 2022 and 2023.

Minister for Education and Early Learning Sarah Mitchell welcomed the pay deal for the state’s more than 90,000 teachers and urged the teacher unions to work constructively with the Government following this decision.

“Making sure our teachers receive the maximum increases they are eligible for has been a focus for me and the NSW Government,” Ms Mitchell said.

“I hope the Teachers Federation will now begin working with us on improving outcomes for our students.

“We are committed to a program of significant reform including new, streamlined curriculum and giving teachers back time to teach, and have guaranteed additional release time for all teachers to enable effective implementation of these reforms.”

Under the pay deal secured in the IRC, over 2022 and 2023 teachers will receive:

• an additional 0.25 per cent increase from 1 July 2022 (back dated) on top of the 2.5 per cent increase received on 1 January 2022; and
• a 3 per cent increase from 1 January 2023.

Teachers will also receive an additional one-off payment outside the Award, amounting to 0.25 per cent of their annual salary as at 30 June 2022. This will be paid as a lump sum once the award is finalised, and means teachers will effectively receive 3 per cent from July.

NSW Teachers Federation (NSWTF) President Angelo Gavrielatos said delivering a real wage cut to teachers would only worsen the teacher shortages and make the profession less attractive in a highly competitive labour market.

“The Perrottet Government-instructed decision will cap further pay increases at 0.25 per cent from 1 July 2022 and 2.53 per cent from the first pay period after 1 January 2023 and will only contribute to the large and growing shortage of teachers.

“Figures released by Education Minister Sarah Mitchell this week, show 2459 vacant positions in public schools in early October, at the start of Term 4.

“Since the release of the Government’s Teacher Supply Strategy there has been an almost 150 per cent increase in the number of vacant permanent positions.

“A parliamentary inquiry has found 60 per cent of teachers want to leave in the next five years because of the crippling workload and uncompetitive salaries than don’t reflect their efforts or responsibilities.

“The 2022 People Matter Employee Survey showed two thirds of public school teachers say they feel burnt out according to new NSW Government research that lifts the lid on the impact of unsustainable workloads and uncompetitive salaries.

“You can’t fix the teacher shortage problem without fixing the wages and workload problem.

“The Government’s own briefings show NSW is ‘facing a large and growing shortage of teachers’ and the situation is only going to get worse with rising enrolments, an ageing workforce and 30 per cent decline in the number of people studying to become a teacher.

“The number of early career teachers leaving public schools is also at a 13-year high.

“The decision of the Perrottet Government and Department Secretary to have the Award arbitrated in the IRC, by Government regulations, rather than negotiate salary increases above the salary cap with the profession shows how little they respect the value of teachers’ work and the impact they have on those they teach. “Kids are missing out because of the shortages and teachers are burning out.

“Mr Perrottet thinks the answer to the teacher shortage crisis is to cut teacher pay, cut teaching standards and employ unqualified teachers through the failed Teach for Australia program his own Education Department has long opposed.

“The March election will be a vital test of which party has a plan to address the real causes of the teacher shortages and secure the teachers we need for the future.”