03 Dec 2021
Attention all parents and carers,
The Department of Education has just sent through the below letter, advising that KPS will be non-operational next Tuesday 7th December, due to industrial action. This means there will be no teacher supervision so children cannot attend school on Tuesday. You will need to make other arrangements.
Thank you for your support,
Fiona Paine
3 December 2021
Dear parents and carers,
The department is currently negotiating a new Award with the Teachers Federation with the help of the Industrial Relations Commission. The Industrial Relations Commission is the official place where pay negotiations take place in NSW.
The Industrial Relations Commission has ruled any industrial action by the NSW Teachers Federation is illegal while negotiations are underway, and the department is urging them to call off any industrial action including the proposed 24-hour strike on Tuesday 7 December.
As a result of the strike our school will be non-operational on Tuesday 7 December. The department's learning from home resources will be available for ongoing curriculum support. You can access these resources from our website: https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-andlearning/learning-from-home
We are doing all we can to resolve this dispute with the Federation.
The current Teachers' Award expires on 31 December 2021. Rather than wait for the outcome of an arbitration decision by the Industrial Relations Commission in May next year, the department intends to offer a 2.5% salary increase for teachers and related employees as soon as the current Award expires, ensuring our staff don’t miss out. This is the maximum amount allowed per annum under the Industrial Relations Act.
We appreciate your patience and understanding during this disruption, especially given the challenges we have all faced this year. We will keep you updated on further developments as they come to hand.
From the NSW Department of Education