Why I went on strike against O'Farrell | Socialist Alternative #NSWisconsin

via sa.org.au

Why I went on strike against O'Farrell

Barry O’Farrell expects teachers and public sector workers to lie down on the hamstringing table. His legislation is justified by an imaginary black hole in the budget, and the pretence that somehow spending on education and public services is causing a massive blowout in the economy.

The fact is that the former head of the education department, Michael Coutts-Trotter, who is now the head of Finance and Services, reported that there have been savings in public education spending! It’s outrageous that money that’s budgeted for public education should be kept in the bank – this should put Coutts-Trotter to shame for being a penny-pinching jerk. It’s even more outrageous that greedy O’Farrell says that this is not enough. He beat up a story that we workers are causing a “black hole” by serving our communities and is preparing to get it out of our wages.

But not to worry, O Farrell says to us. If teachers and other public sector workers (all the bludgers) can prove that there are “savings” then we could get more that 2.5 per cent. Maybe. He’ll think about it. Not the IRC (Industrial Relations Commission), because we will no longer have access to the IRC. No, we can turn our pockets out and beg and whimper for wages that keep up with inflation. Ask the kids to bring us a spare sandwich and some chalk.

We teachers know, just like the nurses and other public sector workers know, that the only way we can make “savings” is by doing more in less time. Less quality, more hours, larger class sizes, more stress, less stress leave, more exhaustion, less sick leave. Even though, by the way, the absurd NSW Institute of Teachers forces us to report endlessly on the “quality” of our teaching – telling us what “quality” means like we’ve never heard of the word!

So what have teachers been saying we should do? A popular idea is STRIKE THE BASTARDS OUT! But it’s taken months, as we knew it would, for the union officials to let us have this.

Another fairly logical idea, but one that was as painful to utter as the legislation itself, was a “good-will strike.” This would be where teachers stop doing all the “extra” things we do. But as we quickly realised, this is actually impossible. Because the extra stuff we do is what keeps the kids and ourselves alive.

Talking with kids on our lunch breaks, taking time out to deal with countless welfare issues. Helping other staff by taking their classes so they can take kids on a wonderful excursion. Staying that extra 20 minutes after school to help an ESL student with an assignment. Differentiating activities to suit vastly different learning abilities and preferences. Hours of preparation and marking. Networking outside of school to provide opportunities for children.

We do all of these things every day, not because we are paid to do it, but because we are human and want to see the kids and our fellow staff prosper. As far as I see it, the young people I work with are fellow workers – one struggle one fight. To neglect or deprive them would reduce my social agency and make me less human. Teachers are not teachers for the money. The holidays give an element of flexibility to our work, which is why so many women are in the profession, as mothers and carers, but this is certainly no compensation for shit wages.

So when we struck today and caused “chaos”, it was because we have self-respect, we give a shit about our society and the young people we work with, and reject the pompous, draconian disdainful attitude of bludgers like O’Farrell. And we loved it! It’s been good for the working class, and good for the unions. Since the rally/strike was announced there have been hundreds of new members recruited to the Teachers' Federation. At the rally, I saw my colleagues glow with pride as the rainbow of union colours swelled into the Domain. Our sense of solidarity in our workplace and across the community was forged.

As an older and usually sceptical union member at my school said in the common room the other day, “The only way to defeat these laws is to get the whole state out on strike!”

http://www.sa.org.au/index.php?option=com_k2&view=item&id=7048:nsw-teacher-why-i-went-on-strike-against-ofarrell&Itemid=392

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PS Workers attend Sydney Rally | Blacktown Sun | @FBEU #Ausunions

via blacktownsun.com.au

Blacktown workers hit Domain rally

BY CALLAN LAWRENCE
12 Sep, 2011

AN estimated crowd of 30,000-plus public sector employees from Blacktown and around the state rallied in Sydney on Thursday to condemn the government's industrial relations reform.

The mass strike dubbed the "day of action" and "day of chaos" by union leaders was just the beginning of a long campaign to fight the reform, they said.

Blacktown Hospital nurse Sue Walker said the conditions imposed on nurses by the Premier Barry O'Farrell were cuts to a public health sector that was already struggling.

"I have nursed for 40 years," she said, "and it is worse than it has ever been (in hospitals)."

Another nurse from Blacktown, Maureen Buckley, said nurses had fought long and hard for conditions that the government had now taken off them.

The nurses marched with teachers, firefighters, police, prison officers and public servants from The Domain, down Macquarie Street and past Parliament House with a message for the Premier.

"We're here to protect our rights," Rooty Hill High School teacher Janelle Roberts said, "to make sure we get paid equally and to make sure that the class rooms have decent sized numbers."

If those conditions weren't met, she said, teachers would walk out the door and the profession would not be attractive to a new generation.

At the heart of the concerns held by public sector workers is the legislated 2.5 per cent cap on wage increase, which is below the estimated 3.6 per cent rise in inflation.

The legislation linked pay increases above 2.5 per cent to productivity gains made by cost cutting and increased efficiency.

It also cuts the independent Industrial Relations Commission out of negotiations with unions for employee conditions.

President of the Fire Brigade Employees Union Darin Sullivan said there was a conflict of interest with the employer legislating laws to restrict wages, while being responsible for negotiating working conditions.

See the slide shows and videos on blacktownsun.com.au

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NSW Campaigns | The Left Hack

via betterstate.org.au

Better State NSW campaign 

Sign up and voice your concerns, receive updates and take action.

Members will receive regular updates and can share their ideas for improving public services and making NSW a Better State.

Join the campaign

Connect with us

Join us on facebook

Follow us on Twitter

See us on Youtube

via betterstate.org.au

 

 

 

SayYes campaign

Unions should be looking after their workers' best interests. How are they doing that if they are supporting a tax that will end up costing workers more?

Answer:

Unions believe that climate change is real and will impact all Australians. The sooner we do something about it, the less it will end up costing ordinary working Australians as well as our economy.

Unions are working to ensure that existing jobs are protected and that new ones are being created through new industries and investments in renewable energy sources.

Research conducted jointly between the ACTU and ACF shows that there are unparalleled job creation opportunities correlated with action on climate change.

The report suggests that with the right policy mix we could create around 770 000 jobs by 2030.

Although we're still awaiting final details the Government has promised a household compensation package that will ensure low and middle income earners will not be worse off.

via sayyesaustralia.org.au

 

 

 

News Stand - Call for media inquiry in Australia

Tell your MP: It's time for an inquiry!

This decision is being made right now - and it's hanging in the balance. If we all email our MPs, in our own words, this could make the difference.

ADD YOUR OWN REASONS BELOW TO LET YOUR MP KNOW WHY YOU THINK WE NEED AN INQUIRY.

via newsstand.good.do

 

 

 

Fair Pay campaign for NSW Public Sector Workers

People working in the Public Sector shouldn't have to trade away their rights & conditions to have their pay keep up with the cost of living.

Sign our petition for Fair Pay for Public Sector Workers.

Public sector workers do remarkable things everyday like protecting the community, educating our kids, caring for the sick and keeping public transport on the rails.

There must be respect for frontline service workers who keep the state running and the support workers who back them up.

The current policy of the NSW Government leads to public sector employees receiving a cut in their wages in real terms unless they trade away employment rights and conditions.

Our public sector workers shouldn't have to trade away rights and conditions just to get a pay rise that keeps up with inflation.

Send a message to the Premier and Treasurer by signing our online petition.

Let's ensure there's Fair Pay for Public Sector Workers!

via council.labor.net.au

via council.labor.net.au

via lefthack.net

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Stop using the public service as political tools | Opinion | #NSWisconsin

Government bureaucratic advice that more boat arrivals would cause social unrest similar to the UK riots is both wrong and unacceptable public service behaviour.

The political views of the ALP Government can be ill informed but asking or permitting senior public servants to brief politicians and the public along these lines moves well beyond their role of offering frank and fair advice. Interestingly Wayne Swan this morning on Radio National breakfast avoided endorsing this view! And now they seem to be denying it happened.

The level of cover the story received in the media suggests a range of unhealthy views throughout the various power players!! It raises issues of whether this issue be resolved fairly.

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An assumption that higher numbers of on-shore processing of refugee/asylum seekers would make any contributions to public disturbances is an absurd and alarmist claim.

I have a dual basis for commenting on this issue. I am a sociologist with a particular interest in issues of social cohesion and put social capital as social glue onto the public agenda in Australia in my 1995 ABC Boyer Lectures on a Truly Civil Society, and I am an ex refugee.

I was able to migrate to Australia in 1948 because Arthur Caldwell and the Chifley Government ignored public opinion polls that clearly stated that Jewish displaced people were not welcome, as we would undermine Australian life. They offered political leadership and courage that is singularly lacking today.

The rhetoric has changed but residual public fears of some strangers are still there to be tapped. Instead of clearly racialised prejudice, the campaigns against those arriving by boat use terms like 'queue jumpers' and 'illegals' to feed the fears of the public.

The politics of both major parties are adding in a law-and-order focus on 'people smugglers' to earlier implication of alien terror and threat. This takes the focus off the actual asylum seeker and onto images of rejecting greed and money rather than desperate people.

The result has created divides in the community, as some groups keep the focus on compassion and rights while others play on greed, order and vague undefined prejudice and fears.

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This toxic change of direction in the briefing the Opposition leader designed is to show the 'dangers' of his rejection of the Malaysian option. Riots in the street are ridiculous as we have over 150,000 thousands of new migrants who arrive each year. Why would a few thousand more create social disturbances?

Even if the government let out the thousands in detention and doubled their numbers, the communities would hardly notice them unless the government and opposition cynically continue to foment anti-asylum seeker feelings for political advantages.

It already costs us too much to detain people. It is economically irrational to spend $123,000 per asylum seeker each year in detention centres where we damage the physical and mental health of many who we later accept.

The Australian reports: 'The government's advice is that people-smugglers celebrated the High Court decision and are actively recruiting customers. It also suggests that a regime limited exclusively to onshore processing could lead to about 600 boat people arriving in Australian waters every month, and within a year the detention network would be overwhelmed. Asylum-seekers would inevitably end up in the community, and would most likely be treated as second-class citizens, triggering the possibility of Australia experiencing European-style disharmony.'

I agree with refugee advocate David Manne, who said last night there was no evidence to substantiate the claims in the advice to the government.

"They . . . are unsubstantiated and irresponsible claims which are only likely to demonise people and to fuel hostility in betrayal of this rich history in this country of helping people and welcoming people in humanitarian need," Mr Manne told ABC's Lateline.

There are many views on what is causing popular unrest and riots in the UK and elsewhere in Europe but no one claims it is the many more asylum seekers they have.

There are difficult economic conditions and social tension's being exploited by minority right wing parties is adding to nationalism and other forms of prejudice. However, in no other country are both the Government and the Opposition exacerbating the fears by running policies that imply non existent threats to social cohesion.

The solutions to the boat arrival's lie in providing alternative ways of processing those who are seeking a safe place to stay, where they can work and live normally. This strategy should however NOT involve swapping some types of arrivals for others as this reduces people to impersonal pawns in a bigger political game. It also ignores evidence that desperate people do not make rational business decisions, they will continue to risk death or rejection to pursue outside difficult possibilities.

Were the Australian government to work on a regional processing system that created real queues for those wanting to settle here, and doubled its numbers of refugee settlers, it would undermine the 'market' for boat passages.

Our public servant's could plan diverse solutions and not implement crude political prejudices for the poll advantages. For instance, by setting up Malaysia and Indonesia based immigration queues, we may fill other areas of labour needs.

How many asylum seekers and potential refugees also have skills as potential aged care workers and miners? The extra immigrants can create the benefits we gained from the many post-war arrivals that many did not want, including me!

via onlineopinion.com.au

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