
Public school teachers across NSW have voted to accept the NSW Government’s three-year salary and conditions agreement, formally completing last year’s four-year pay deal.
This agreement will mean the state’s 95,000 public school teacher workforce will continue to have highly competitive salaries, receiving a three percent pay increase annually for the next three years.
Further, this agreement offers improved workplace flexibility to improve attraction and retention in the profession. This will include opportunities for job-sharing, part-time employment as well as full-time and part-time leave without pay where requested.
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“This agreement maintains the structural reset of teacher salaries we achieved last year after a decade of wage suppression under the previous government,” said NSW Teachers Federation President Henry Rajendra. “It ensures our pay keeps pace with inflation while remaining competitive with other jurisdictions – critical factors in attracting and retaining the teachers our students need.”
To maximise teaching time, regular after-school meetings will be capped at one hour a week and after-school events will need to be planned in consultation with teachers, with reasonable notice given.
Teachers will also be provided with additional school development days for the duration of the three-year agreement to assist with rolling out the new curriculum with a focus on explicit teaching, while the Department continues to address ongoing staffing challenges.
‘‘The Federation is delighted with this agreement which acknowledges and respects the gendered nature of the teaching profession by delivering on working conditions which address the gender pay gap and value the multiplicity of work, family and care responsibilities our members undertake,’’ Mr Rajendra said.
“These improvements show greater respect from the employer – respect that has been absent for far too long,” Mr Rajendra said. “They begin to address the unmanageable workloads that have driven resignation rates above retirement rates and exacerbated the teacher shortage crisis.”
The agreement follows the once-in-a-generation pay rise given to teachers last year which saw starting salaries lift from $75,791 to $85,000 and top of the scale teacher salaries increase from $113.042 to $122,100.
The NSW Government’s work to support public school teachers and address the teacher shortage has also included:
- Converting more than 16,000 temporary teachers and school support staff to permanent roles.
- Banning mobile phones in public schools to improve student behaviour and focus in the classroom.
- Expanding the School Administration Reduction Program trial, to streamline the non-classroom work required of teachers.
These efforts have helped reduce teacher vacancies to a three-year-low of just more than 1600, with NSW public schools reporting 24 per cent fewer vacancies at the start of Term 3, 2024 than at the same time last year.
Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning Prue Car said: “Since coming to government, we have been clear in our view that pay is a function of respect, and I am pleased to see teachers will continue to benefit from our once-in-a-generation pay agreement.
“Having teachers in front of classrooms, providing high-quality learning to students is the key to improving learning outcomes in the state.
“Offering better conditions and work-life balance will help us to attract new teachers and ensure those already teaching will stay on board.”