Work bans for WA school staff

WA public school support staff have voted in favour of 19 work bans in a bid to pressure the state government in wage negotiations.

Support workers at Western Australia's public schools have voted in favour of a raft of work bans after wage talks with the state government stalled.

Almost 700 United Voice members turned out for a mass meeting in Northbridge on Friday and fully endorsed a list of 19 work bans including yard duty for education assistants, vacuuming for cleaners and emptying of bins by gardeners.

The Education Department will not budge on its public sector wage policy which limits increases to the inflation rate, but the union is pushing for a four per cent per year salary increase over the next three years.

The current enterprise agreement expires in December.

The unionists - who wore masks of Premier Colin Barnett wearing a laurel wreath in a nod to his `Emperor' tag - also voted in favour of taking further action on November 12 if no progress is achieved at the next meeting with the department.

WA branch secretary Carolyn Smith said the talks had been going for months but had gone nowhere.

"Support workers are sick of doing more with less," Ms Smith said.

"This meeting today is telling the Premier, enough is enough."


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Source: AAP



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