darinsullivan.blogspot.com: Nothing can prevent teachers strike | Sept 8 PS "Day of Action"

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THE education department will make a last-ditch bid today to have a teachers strike ruled out - after a judge yesterday declared teachers were likely to strike even if he ordered them not to.

Industrial Relations Commission Justice Francis Marks said "it would be futile" to give any direction on plans for the state's 70,000 teachers to walk out of classes tomorrow for 24 hours because he believed the NSW Teachers Federation would strike anyway. He also said the argument between the teachers and government was political rather than industrial.
"It is a political issue and I am just reluctant to issue a direction when I know it is going to be broken," Justice Marks said.
"There is no point. It is like a policeman saying to a juvenile delinquent 'You will not throw that bottle', knowing that they are going to."
Earlier the judge had made reference to any attempt to stop teachers striking for 24 hours as having the same futility as "King Canute trying to stop the tide".

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Related Coverage
NSW teachers' strike to go ahead Courier Mail, 9 hours ago
NSW teachers ready to walk The Australian, 16 hours ago
Court action to stop teachers 24-hr strike The Daily Telegraph, 2 days ago
NSW teachers' strike extreme, says Baird The Daily Telegraph, 6 days ago
NSW teachers to strike next week The Daily Telegraph, 6 days ago

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He asked the teachers' representative in court if there was anything he could do, "including putting you up against a wall and threatening to shoot you", to convince teachers not to strike and was told "probably not".
But the department won the right to have its case heard again in a last-ditch attempt to have teachers ordered back into the classroom.
Teachers will strike for 24 hours to attend a lunchtime rally in the Domain organised by Unions NSW to protest against the government's new industrial legislation which, among other things, caps public sector pay rises to 2.5 per cent and limits the role of the IRC in pay disputes.
The rally is expected to be attended by nurses, firefighters, police, prison wardens and other public sector workers but teachers are the only ones to go out for 24 hours, with all other unions ensuring enough staff remained at work to maintain services.
Federation president Bob Lipscombe said it was "absolutely essential all teachers take action" tomorrow.
But, as a concession, the federation has agreed to allow HSC practical exams such as music performance to go ahead as well as the marking of major HSC projects.
All public schools should have advised parents yesterday what arrangements, if any, are available for the care of their children tomorrow.
Court action to stop teachers' strike