TAFE teachers to strike in NSW

A simmering row over pay and conditions has led NSW TAFE teachers to call a 24-hour
strike for Thursday.
They will walk off the job over what union bosses describe as the imposition of
"Work Choices" type conditions.
NSW Teachers Federation president Bob Lipscombe said the state government was
requiring TAFE teachers to work an extra five hours a week and valued each hour at
$3.
He told AAP on Monday that around 5000 TAFE teachers are affected by the new rules.
The exact number planning to strike on Thursday remains unclear but Mr Lipscombe
said there was real anger among teachers.
A union statement announced the state-wide strike, the second bout of industrial
action on the issue, on Monday night and called on Premier Kristina Keneally to
negotiate.
The union said a protest meeting would be held at Sydney Town Hall from 11am (AEDT)
on Thursday.
"TAFE teachers are striking in protest at the imposition of WorkChoices type
conditions on TAFE teachers and Premier Keneally's unfulfilled promise from December
18 last year to meet with the Teachers Federation," Mr Lipscombe said in a
statement.
"I call on the premier to meet with us immediately to negotiate a settlement to this
dispute."
The row started earlier in 2009 when teachers won a pay rise of four per cent - 1.5
per cent above the state government's public sector wage cap.
But the NSW Department of Education and Training (DET) applied to the Industrial
Relations Commission (IRC) to increase teaching hours as a productivity trade-off
for the increase.
The IRC found in favour of the DET on October 15.
The Teachers Federation announced it was appalled by the decision and launched an
appeal in the NSW Court of Appeal in early December.
The appeal was rejected.
In mid-December the union launched a radio and television advertising campaign aimed
at pressuring the government into resolving the dispute.
A strike was held by teachers, over the same issue, in early November.