Hunter TAFE teachers are walking off the job today, fed up with deteriorating conditions, declining pay and insufficient job security.
Educators from the Newcastle campus won’t be showing up to work today, as part of a series of stop-work actions over the past fortnight at Glendale, Muswellbrook and Hamilton campuses.
The Teachers Federation says 70 per cent of teachers are in casual employment and their average pay is now 7 per cent behind that of school teachers.
The union also points to a decline in the number of teachers with 50 per cent less than a decade ago.
NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos said delivering a real wage cut to TAFE teachers would worsen the workload and attractiveness of the TAFE sector as a career option.
“Over the last 10 years, State Government policies have deliberately run-down TAFE contributing to the skills crisis in NSW” he said.
“In 2012 TAFE NSW employed more than 17,000 teachers and related education employees. In 2022 that number has declined to just 8197.
“Removal of support staff has resulted in TAFE teacher administrative workload increasing, this has led to a many leaving the profession.
“TAFE teacher salaries haven’t kept pace with the cost of living. With inflation sitting at more than 6 per cent and growing, the Government’s pay offer to the TAFE sector represents a pay cut.”
Image: NSW Teachers Federation Facebook page