Non-govt teachers abandon ACTU over feared jobs cuts

The decision of the Independent Education Union to abandon the Australian Council of Trade Unions is conclusive evidence that a war on non-government schools is real and is underway, Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education said today.

“IEUA President, Chris Watt, has declared that the ACTU is captive to a ‘Greens agenda’ that would see billions ripped from the non-government sector leading to prohibitively higher school fees and massive job losses,” Mr Pyne said.

The ACTU is part of the Labor movement and controls an enormous voting block within the ALP. It also can boast two former ACTU presidents, a secretary and an assistant secretary on the Gillard Government’s current frontbench.

“This influence would explain why Schools Minister, Peter Garrett, has refused to guarantee that non-government school funding will be fully indexed into the future,” Mr Pyne said. 

“Without indexation non-government schools stand to lose $4.2 billion in funding over four years after the expiry of the current funding arrangements,” he said.

“To make up $4.2 billion in funding, non-government schools will be forced to cut back on teaching and other staff, or raise school fees to cover operating costs. 

“$4.2 billion is the equivalent of 56,000 teachers on an average salary of $75,000 a year. Little wonder the IEUA is worried about the future of non-government schooling.

“Parents with students at non-government schools and teachers in non-government schools can rest assured that a Coalition Government will maintain the quantum of current funding levels fully indexed under any new funding agreement,” Mr Pyne said.

July 5, 2011

 
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