Mass protests by public sector workers

http://www.kiamaindependent.com.au/news/local/news/general/mass-protests-by-p…
BRENDAN CRABB

MINNAMURRA Public School student Dylan Desborough-Cardwell said new State Government industrial relations laws no longer protected those protecting and educating the community.

Reforms to how public sector wages and conditions were determined have passed through both houses of parliament, after the Legislative Assembly voted in favour of the bill last Thursday.

Pay and working conditions of public sector workers can now be determined by politicians, instead of the current “independent umpire”, the long-running NSW Industrial Relations Commission.

Speaking at a rally outside Mr Ward’s office last Thursday afternoon, Dylan, whose mother Kim is the federation representative at Kiama High School said teachers needed to be “better looked after”.

“I think the teachers need a lot better,” the Year 4 student said. “If you want them to teach, you have to pay them well, (otherwise) they’ll strike and we won’t get good teachers.

“Same with the police – we need to protect them so they can protect the people.”

Dozens of teachers, students, NSW Teachers Federation representatives and firefighters attended the rally, chanting, “shame Barry, shame” and “one-term Gareth”.

Federation organiser Nicole Calnan described the legislation as “draconian”.

“Today’s protest is just the beginning of this campaign,” she said. “Teachers will continue to protest against a capped salary which falls way short of the current rate of inflation. This legislation means that teachers’ working conditions can be changed at whim by the government.”

Illawarra firefighters and other workers also rallied at Lowden Square, Wollongong earlier that day.

NSW Fire Brigade Employees’ Union president Darin Sullivan of Kiama warned of reduced fire coverage, and an eventual risk to the safety of communities, due to the new laws.

However, Member for Kiama Gareth Ward has described the 2.5 per cent per year pay increases for teachers and other public sector workers as being part of a fair and sustainable wages policy and questioned the “stunt” tactics of teachers.