Principals Federation WA plans new industrial action to inconvenience embattled Education Department

A new battlefront has opened in the public schools pay dispute, with the principals’ union preparing to launch further industrial action one week after teachers go out on strike. The Principals Federation of WA, which is negotiating on behalf of school leaders and deputies, has directed its members to withdraw key services from April 29 in a bid to inconvenience Education Department bosses. The PFWA is separate from the State School Teachers Union, though principals can join either or both unions. Teachers have been directed to abandon their classrooms for half a day on Tuesday to call for improved working conditions, smaller class sizes and a 12 per cent salary increase over two years. The SSTU rejected a second offer of 11 per cent over three years. PFWA president Bevan Ripp said it also decided last week to reject the State Government’s second offer for a new agreement, mainly because of the “inadequate” salary component. “Our industrial action is not going to impact kids or families,” he told The West. “What we will be doing is not participating in a lot of the processes that the Education Department usually demands of us.” In a letter sent to schools, Mr Ripp said members had become “increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in recognising the importance of school leaders in ensuring our schools continue to provide the conditions in which staff, students and community thrive”. “We urge School Boards and P&Cs to discuss this with their school’s leadership to gain a deeper understanding of why this action is necessary,” it said. “The responsibilities and accountabilities that go with the role of school leadership have been building to the point where school leaders feel overwhelmed, and we are asking for communities to inform Government that the status quo is no longer good enough.” PFWA members have been told not to complete online incident reports — unless it involves emergency services or a mandatory report about suspected child abuse. They should not attend any departmental briefings, either online or in person, or go to school board and P&C meetings out of hours. They have also been directed to refuse to take part in performance reviews, regional panels for job interviews or to rule on a student’s exclusion. Mr Ripp said principals wanted an offer over three years that exceeded 12 per cent. They also wanted to see the job classification model restructured to take into account the vast difference in responsibilities between the highest-paid teachers and entry level deputy principals. A spokesperson for the State Government said it respected the union’s right to take industrial action. “We are continuing to bargain in good faith and remain committed to reaching a negotiated outcome,” they said.