TAFE Teachers to Stop Work

Date: 14 November 2002

South Coast TAFE Teachers will walk off the job next week over course cuts.

Peter de Graaff, NSW Teachers Federation TAFE Organiser said today:

"Teachers in the Personal & Community Health Services Faculty at Shellharbour, Nowra and Moruya TAFE Campuses in the last 24 hours have passed resolutions stating that teachers from this Faculty will stop work for up to 2 hours on Thursday 21 November 2002 from 11.30 am."

"Teachers from Personal & Community Health Services at Shellharbour TAFE intend to protest the course cuts by demonstrating outside the Institute Director's office, 3 Rowland Ave., West Wollongong. They have called on all other Personal & Community Health sections across the Illawarra Institute to join their action, and invited other faculties to show their support. Students and concerned community members are also invited to participate."

"Cuts to courses are in high demand employment areas such as Nursing, Aged Care, Child Studies, Alcohol & Other Drug work, and Hairdressing etc."

"Federation representatives met with the Deputy Director General TAFE, Mr. Robin Shreeve yesterday to discuss Institute budgets. He confirmed that the State Budget had provided a 2.8% increase in total funding for TAFE Institutes this financial year, and that he has directed Institutes'

to provide their full profile of courses as per last year."

"In the Illawarra Institute there is faculty planning of the course profile, and courses running this Semester could not have done so without the approval of the Institute management. Cuts to programming in the Personal & Community Health Services Faculty are extremely widespread and call into question the assurances given by the Deputy Director General."

"For example training for new Aged Care workers at the Wollongong Campus has been axed after 12 years of successful operation, despite an ageing population and demand from agencies for trained workers. In spite of the widespread nursing shortage the Illawarra Institute has severely curtailed training in the Upper Illawarra and South Coast. Quite clearly the Illawarra Institute is not offering their full profile of courses as per last year."

"It is deplorable at a time when all the evidence points to increasing demand from the community for these essential services, and the rising level of poverty and people seeking welfare assistance, and escalating unemployment figures for the region, that the Illawarra Institute is cutting courses and future employment opportunities. Without this TAFE training, job seekers are denied the opportunity of meeting the criteria to work in the Personal & Community Health industries. This can only contribute to fuelling further resentment in the Illawarra and South Coast prior to the State Election,"said Mr de Graaff.

For further information

Contact:	John Hughes
Union:	Labor Council of NSW
Phone:	02 9217-2100
Contact Mobile:	0418 423 834
WWW:	http://www.nswtf.org.au

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