United Voice News
School support workers to finally get their pay rise
Just over a year after school cleaners, gardeners and education assistants began fighting the Liberal state government over their pathetic 44c wages offer, these 10,000 workers are finally getting their pay rise.
The new agreement, which will see education assistants get an 11% pay rise and cleaners and gardeners get 8.75%, was decided in arbitration at the West Australian Industrial Relations Commission hearings in March.
The wages will be increased as from the August 19, 2010 pay period.
Back pay and allowances will be paid on the September 2, 2010 pay period. Workers will receive back pay accumulated from January 1, 2010.
All employees as of Friday, July 30, 2010 will be entitled to the back pay. And any employee as of July 23 will be entitled to back pay by way of an administrative agreement from the minister.
The school support workers’ rise comes in the wake of the Salaries and Allowances Tribunal’s decision to award MPs a 4.3% pay increase. 
Dave Kelly, secretary of the LHMU said: “After everything we’ve been through with this campaign, it seems bitterly ironic that highly paid Colin Barnett is getting this rise while cleaners and gardeners at government schools are only getting 3% this year.
“The fact that his government spent millions of dollars fighting our case for a fair deal in expensive arbitration hearings, and played hard ball with some of the lowest paid public sector workers in the state throughout the campaign, disgusts our members.
“As they struggle to pay for Mr Barnett’s utility bill price hikes, I am sure our members won’t be forgetting his behaviour at the next state election.”
Mr Kelly added that over the last year, school support workers had taken the fight to the government and had displayed great strength and unity in the most difficult of circumstances.
“When some members’ pay was stopped altogether because they participated in minor work bans, our members did not give up,” he said. “In fact they forced the government into an embarrassing back flip on its own industrial relations policies and their missing wages were reinstated.
“The WAIRC’s wages decision made a mockery of the government’s offer of 8%, but because of Colin Barnett’s extreme increases to water, electricity and gas, our members are likely to still find it tough to make ends meet, despite finally receiving their wage increase.”
No existing conditions for members were lost during the Kids Can’t Learn Without Us Campaign.
And the hard work of members will continue as essential services like cleaning in government schools, face the threat of privatisation.
