THE government has declared Thursday a student-free day in Tasmanian state schools, with planned industrial action across the public sector. A war of words has broken out between the government and the Australian Education Union after 266 staff are set to be cut from the Education Department before the end of the financial year. Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said unions were "making children and parents pay for their refusal to accept our sensible pay freeze offer". "Because of Thursday's union strike, we cannot guarantee sufficient staff would remain at schools to provide supervision during the strike action," Mr Rockliff said. Mr Rockliff said the student-free day would be deducted from next year's allocation. "Parents have every right to be angry at the actions of those union leaders who chose a pay rise over a pay freeze and politics over the interests of their own members," Mr Rockliff said. However, AEU Tasmania president Terry Polglase said the government wouldn't negotiate or guarantee a freeze would save jobs. "Now it is showing a complete disregard for student learning and the working lives of parents ... this is an insult to teachers, the profession, and the community," he said. Treasurer Peter Gutwein said public servants that took part in stopwork action would not be paid. "The government will not be footing the bill for the unions' stopwork meetings," Mr Gutwein said. Tasmanian Association of State Schools Organisations president Jenny Eddington said the government and unions needed to "sort out the mess" and demanded they return to the negotiating table. "Our young people are being treated as political pawns in this debacle, what sort of example is that setting?" Ms Eddington said. "It flies in the face of all the messaging around the value and importance of education, the decision makers need to walk the talk, it is what it is - an underfunded education system and it is just not good enough," she said. Opposition Leader Bryan Green said the Liberals' election promises were costing teachers their jobs. "We're so disappointed the government has broken its promise to the Tasmanian people and allowing front-line services - particularly the education of our children - to be hampered as a result of them not coming to grips with the fact they over-promised during the election campaign," he said.
THE government has declared Thursday a student-free day in Tasmanian state schools, with planned industrial action across the public sector.
Jeremy Rockliff
A war of words has broken out between the government and the Australian Education Union after 266 staff are set to be cut from the Education Department before the end of the financial year.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said unions were "making children and parents pay for their refusal to accept our sensible pay freeze offer".
"Because of Thursday's union strike, we cannot guarantee sufficient staff would remain at schools to provide supervision during the strike action," Mr Rockliff said.
Mr Rockliff said the student-free day would be deducted from next year's allocation.
"Parents have every right to be angry at the actions of those union leaders who chose a pay rise over a pay freeze and politics over the interests of their own members," Mr Rockliff said.
However, AEU Tasmania president Terry Polglase said the government wouldn't negotiate or guarantee a freeze would save jobs.
"Now it is showing a complete disregard for student learning and the working lives of parents ... this is an insult to teachers, the profession, and the community," he said.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein said public servants that took part in stopwork action would not be paid.
"The government will not be footing the bill for the unions' stopwork meetings," Mr Gutwein said.
Tasmanian Association of State Schools Organisations president Jenny Eddington said the government and unions needed to "sort out the mess" and demanded they return to the negotiating table.
"Our young people are being treated as political pawns in this debacle, what sort of example is that setting?" Ms Eddington said.
"It flies in the face of all the messaging around the value and importance of education, the decision makers need to walk the talk, it is what it is - an underfunded education system and it is just not good enough," she said.
Opposition Leader Bryan Green said the Liberals' election promises were costing teachers their jobs.
"We're so disappointed the government has broken its promise to the Tasmanian people and allowing front-line services - particularly the education of our children - to be hampered as a result of them not coming to grips with the fact they over-promised during the election campaign," he said.
