NSW Teachers Federation president Maurie Mulheron at yesterday's meeting. Picture: SYLVIA LIBER
Speakers Maxine Sharkey and Maurie Mulheron.
Illawarra TAFE teachers yesterday resolved to reject a new enterprise agreement that they fear will put teaching jobs in jeopardy.
Around 40 teachers attended the meeting at TAFE's Wollongong campus yesterday afternoon, condemning the agreement and unanimously backing a vote of no confidence in TAFE Illawarra director Dianne Murray, the institute's board members and the NSW Education Minister Adrian Piccoli.
NSW Teachers Federation Wollongong branch secretary Kerry Stratton said teachers had no confidence in the board's ability to properly manage Illawarra TAFE or Mr Piccoli's ability to adequately fund TAFE education and "recruit and retain" the highest quality teachers.
The group called for Mr Piccoli's resignation.
Teachers Federation president Maurie Mulheron told yesterday's meeting to encourage teachers to vote "No" in the online vote for the agreement that ends today.
Mr Mulheron said in December teachers across the state had overwhelmingly voted against a similar enterprise agreement put forward by TAFE NSW.
He said the new agreement was almost the same and should again be opposed to force TAFE management to return to negotiations.
He said the main point of contention in the new agreement was the attempt to introduce new positions that would replace qualified teachers with less qualified staff on lower pay.
"TAFE management want to bring in new classifications of positions - what they call tutors and assessors," Mr Mulheron said.
He said qualified teachers may be replaced with "these workers [who] do not have to have teaching qualifications and they will be paid half the hourly rate of a teacher, to do work that teachers currently do."
The Illawarra Mercury was unable to get comment from TAFE Illawarra management yesterday.