FIVE coaches of Hunter public school teachers will travel to Sydney for a rally on Tuesday, when they will strike over what they say is inadequate pay and conditions and a shortage of educators.
Hunter Workers secretary Leigh Shears, Hunter MPs Jenny Aitchison, Tim Crakanthorp and Clayton Barr plus Newcastle Lord Mayor Nuatali Nelmes gathered on Friday to support the NSW Teachers Federation, which is calling for a salary increase of five to 7.5 per cent per year in line with the independent Gallop inquiry's recommendations.
It also wants an extra two hours preparation time per week.
Federation regional organiser Jack Galvin Waight said this was the first time in a decade members had stopped work for 24 hours and it followed 18 months of negotiations.
"Teachers are striking on Tuesday because we have to, we've exhausted every available option," Mr Galvin Waight said, adding members were prepared to take further industrial action.
"The teacher shortages in NSW and in the Hunter are crippling our schools, they're crippling our students.
"Irrefutable evidence including an independent inquiry says the reason we have teacher shortages is uncompetitive salaries and excessive workloads.
"Teachers are overworked, they're underpaid and they're undervalued.
"The department's own documents and the state government's documents in their own words have said we're running out of teachers, we're going to run out of teachers in five years... we're saying this to Mr Perrottet: if you don't care about the teacher shortages, you don't care about our kids."
Mr Galvin Waight said schools were making their own arrangements "on a case by case basis" for Tuesday, but many would be closed. He asked for parents' support "because this is for your kids".
He said teachers had "gone above and beyond" during the pandemic and were now "frustrated, they're angry, they've had enough, they're exhausted" about the lack of improvement in pay and conditions.
He said on average principals were working 62 hours a week, executive staff 58 hours and classroom teachers 55 hours.
"They're feeling appreciated by the parents and the school community and our comrades that are here today, but they're not feeling appreciated by the state government."
He said teacher shortages had a "massive effect" on students, with split classes and some "sitting in the quadrangle with minimal supervision".
The current award expires December 31.
The matter will be arbitrated by the Industrial Relations Commission in May, but the government has applied for an interim award for a 2.5 per cent salary increase - the maximum under the public sector wage cap.
