The ACT’s public schools will be closed tomorrow, Thursday, June 11, as Canberra teachers and school staff once again go on strike.
The industrial action will take place after a two-hour work stoppage occurred last month, the first such strike action by ACT public school teachers in 15 years.
The action has been sparked by mounting frustration between the Education Directorate and the Australian Education Union (AEU) as they negotiate a new enterprise agreement.
What does the strike mean for students?
Due to the industrial action, the Education Directorate said it had decided to close all public schools in the interest of student and staff safety.
ACT teachers will go on strike on Thursday as pay negotiations continue to remain unresolved. (ABC News: Adam Shirley)
The directorate said there would be no on-site supervision available for students that day.
Individual schools should have already let families know about how the strike might impact assessments, excursions or other activities.
In a notification on its website, the directorate said, “The safety and wellbeing of students and staff remains our highest priority”.
“The ACT government acknowledges that school closures have significant impacts on families and these decisions are not taken lightly and that this is the second disruption this term,” it said.
“We have made our best efforts to let families know about this closure as early as possible to help with forward planning.“
Hundreds of ACT public school teachers gathered as part of a two-hour strike last month. (ABC News: Stuart Carnegie)
Why is the strike happening?
As last month’s shorter strike wrapped up, union members voted to take a full day of protected industrial action.
The union said teachers were taking this action because the government hadn’t addressed core concerns around staffing, increasing workloads and class sizes.
In May, the union’s ACT branch president Angela Burroughs said public school staff were “fed up”.
“Teachers don’t like doing this, but we are exhausted,”
she said.
“We are putting up with the unacceptable … our members’ patience has expired.”
ACT Australian Education Union president Angela Burroughs says they are frustrated with the ACT government over pay negotiations. (ABC News: David Scasci)
What has happened since the last strike?
The ACT government said negotiations had been progressing in the weeks since the strike on May 22.
Education Minister Yvette Berry told the Legislative Assembly the most recent meetings between the Education Directorate and the union occurred on Wednesday and Friday last week.
ACT Education Minister Yvette Berry has previously said they were meeting regularly with the union. (ABC News: Monte Bovill)
Ms Berry was asked about a review that had been promised into the pay classification of some education staff.
“The review was a commitment in the previous enterprise agreement,” she replied.
“I acknowledge that this work didn’t progress as it should have and I’m sorry for that.“
What will this mean for studies?
The directorate said student assessments may be affected but that they would protect students from further impact.
“Students will not be disadvantaged by the closure,” it said.
“Schools will advise families and students of any adjustments required.”
Are school buses running?
School buses will run according to their normal hours, despite the strike.
What about out-of-school care?
The directorate said companies that provide out-of-school-hours care would be in contact with families about their operations on Thursday as a result of the strike.
