PARENTS of children attending one of the district’s four Catholic schools should check to ensure normal timetables as teachers prepare to strike tomorrow.
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O’Connor and St Mary’s schools in Armidale, St Joseph’s primary in Uralla and St Mary of the Angels primary in Guyra are tipped to be affected by industrial action between 8.30am and midday.
Basic teaching and supervision is expected to be offered in the morning as up to 70 Catholic school teachers attend a stopwork rally at the Armidale Services Club.
It is part of statewide action taken by the NSW Independent Education Union against a plan by Catholic employers to reduce teachers’ sick leave, abolish some teaching positions and increase face-to-face workloads.
Teachers currently earn between $55,000 and $90,000 a year.
“It is hoped this intervention will force the employer to negotiate around current salaries and conditions rather than those contained in their draconian proposal,”Armidale union organiser Sandra White said.
But Catholic Commission for Employment Relations executive director Tony Farley said the union was misleading teachers over the proposed work changes, which he said were negotiable.
Teachers will also rally in Tamworth.
