United Voice News
School support workers' disgust at government's lawyer choice
Low paid school support workers rally outside WA state parliament after the government employs the services of $5000-8000-a-day lawyer to argue their case in arbitration.
On the day that politicians returned to Parliament, 80 school support workers were there to remind Colin Barnett and Troy Buswell that their campaign for a better pay deal is far from over.
The education assistants, school cleaners and gardeners joined Labor leader Eric Ripper on the steps of Parliament on Tuesday for a press conference.
They later attended Question Time where Mr Ripper asked the
government why it had employed the expensive services of well-known lawyer
Harry ‘Jurisdiction’ Dixon, who works in the eastern states, to argue their
case in arbitration.
The premier Colin Barnett has admitted that Mr Dixon costs between $5,000 and $8,000 a day. Meanwhile school support workers make no more than $35,000 a year.
The state government has offered these essential workers just 2.5%, 2.5% and 3% arguing that it couldn’t afford to pay them anymore because of the global economic downturn.
This is while it raised electricity prices by 25%, offered teachers 20% and dolled out bonuses of up to $50,000 to staff in its own education department.
Dave Kelly, secretary of the LHMU, said: “The employment of this expensive lawyer for the arbitration process is just the latest in a long show of hypocrisy by this Liberal government.
“How can they seriously expect school support workers to believe they cannot afford to up their wage offer while they pay the expenses and legal costs of this top lawyer with public money?”
The wage issue in the school support worker pay dispute is due to be settled in arbitration in March while negotiations over conditions are ongoing.
