Unions for school support staff notify principals of refusal to supervise students during teacher strike

Leaders of WA public schools have been notified they should not expect to fall back on education assistants or other support staff to supervise students while teachers are out on strike next week. Dozens of schools could be forced to close on Tuesday because they won’t have enough teachers on site to ensure adequate supervision during the half-day stop work action called by the State School Teachers Union. Unions for school support staff have sent letters to principals this week to stress they can’t rely on their members to take on extra responsibilities while teachers are absent. “During this period, there will be a shortage of teachers. In our experience, when teachers are absent, our members are relied on to pick up the slack, including by supervising students,” the letter from the Community and Public Sector Union/Civil Service Association said. “Every worker in a school holds distinct responsibilities and cannot be used interchangeably to cover tasks typically managed by teaching staff.” An almost identical letter sent to principals by the United Workers Union — which covers education assistants, Aboriginal and Islander Education Officers, cleaners and gardeners — emphasised that its members “cannot and will not assume responsibility for the supervision of classes”. “During the industrial action, we request that you respect the roles our members serve within the school community by refraining from asking them to do tasks that are outside of their usual duties,” the UWU letter said. The union also urged its members to “maintain safety in the workplace” by not taking on work outside their normal duties. “An education assistant can’t take the role of a teacher any more than a principal could safely perform the work of our skilled cleaners and gardeners,” UWU public sector coordinator Lisa Judge said. Rikki Hendon, branch secretary for the CPSU/CSA which covers school support workers, library officers, lab and IT technicians and corporate services managers, said members would not undertake tasks outside their usual duties on Tuesday “to ensure the full weight of the teachers’ action is felt”. Teachers will meet outside Optus stadium on Tuesday morning before marching across Matagarup Bridge to attend the union rally at Gloucester Park. Rallies will also be held in regional locations across the State, from Albany to Karratha. The SSTU is demanding improved working conditions, smaller class sizes and a 12 per cent salary increase over two years — 7 per cent in the first year of the agreement and 5 per cent in the second. As The West revealed on Saturday, the union has warned parents that even if their children’s school is open on Tuesday it will not be for lessons as normal.