Public Service Association Workplace Group at Sydney Institute of TAFE, Ultimo
64 jobs are slated to go from TAFE, Ultimo on July 1. Public Service
Association members went on strike on May 31 opposing the loss of these
staff who maintain the laboratories and workshops. John Aquilina, NSW
Education and Training Minister, now faces a series of rolling stoppages on
the issue of saving jobs and maintaining publicly funded vocational
education. The Minister is facing huge opposition to his plans to close
inner Sydney schools, and that campaign for public education is spreading
to TAFE.
The latest cuts come on top of 630 TAFE teaching and support jobs cut by
the 1999 State government. Almost half of these job losses came from Ultimo
TAFE. Including about 30 class support positions. More jobs have quietly
disappeared or not been filled during the public service staff recruitment
freeze. In many cases casual staff have been hired to do the work of
servicing laboratory classes in place of permanent staff who have left.
These jobs and those of many permanent and long term temporary staff are
slated to go on July 1 this year.
This must result in a reduction of student numbers in second semester this
year and in 2002. It is just another blow to TAFE in a long campaign by
both Labor and Liberal governments to cut publicly funded vocational
education TAFE is facing death by a thousand cuts as one round of job
losses follows another with no sign of an end. It must inevitably lead to a
reduction in student numbers and the further demise of public education.
Meanwhile the Minister is busy rewarding his senior staff with pay bonuses
like the $8,400 to the Director of Sydney Institute (Sun Herald, 3/6/01).
PSA members have been fruitlessly negotiating with local management for
three months. Time and again management's arguments have been shot down in
flames and the bottom line of a State Government cut to funds of $2.6m is
used to defend the cuts.
A request to the Minister, by the PSA General Secretary, for an urgent
meeting issues on 18 May has been ignored. Members are angry that the
Minister not only has ignored requests for a meeting but the government has
just announced increased funding for private education of 12% while public
education increased by only 5.6% (SMH 30/5/01).
Please show your support by signing the petition and writing to the
Minister for Education & Training at Parliament House, Macquarie St. Sydney
Issued by the PSA Sydney Institute Workplace Group, 4 June 2001
Leon Parissi, Chair , PSA Sydney Institute Workplace Group
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