Catholic clash: SA private school parents stoush with teachers
Angered private school parents are trying to muffle teachers wanting to bring a dispute to the doors of a state-wide kids music festival.
Parents of catholic school students have been warned that teachers involved in an ongoing pay dispute would “target” an upcoming Catholic School Music Festival.
A letter sent to parents and caregivers from Catholic School Parents South Australia on September 14 said the group was “concerned by the prospect of industrial action occurring at events that are dedicated to celebrating students”.
But the Independent Education Union (IEU) Branch Secretary Tim Oosterbaan said the group’s actions were a “complete overreaction”.
Oosterbaan said a teacher group planned to hand out flyers to raise awareness outside the Entertainment Centre during the music festival, which runs from September 21 to 24.
He said the flyer would “have important information” about the union’s action, claiming that the latest pay offer from Catholic Education would mean SA catholic school teachers are “going to be the lowest-paid Catholic staff on mainland Australia, and that’s not fair”.
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The pay dispute has been ongoing for about 18 months and five SA catholic schools would have union members walk off the job this Friday afternoon as protected action continues.
On Friday four schools: Our Lady of La Vang, Whitefriars, Thomas More College and St Paul’s College, will stop work for the last few hours of the day then meet for a briefing before going to other Catholic schools to give flyers to parents.
Catholic Education has offered a three per cent backdated pay rise for 2025 and 2026, but the union is asking for a six per cent annual increase for the next three years to bring SA catholic school teachers into line with their Victorian and New South Wales counterparts.
Currently, catholic school teachers earn an average of $116,000; the union wants to see this boosted to $131,000.
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Catholic School Parents SA executive officer Trish Jarvis wrote in her letter to parents, seen by InDaily, that their concern was that “children should remain at the centre” of the event.
“These festivals belong to the students. They are a celebration of their talents, commitment and achievement, and we hope the focus remains firmly on them and the enjoyment of the families and communities who come together to support them,” Jarvis said.
Catholic School Parents SA is a group founded by the South Australian Commission for Catholic Schools (SACCS) in 2020.
Today, Jarvis said “It’s not about overreacting, it’s about the appropriateness of the union protesting at an event that is to celebrates and focuses on children when they have many other avenues open to them”.
“Our letter reflected a clear view that children at a school event should not be drawn into industrial matters, and our focus remains on supporting students participating in the Festival.”
In a letter of his own responding to Jarvis, Oosterbaan said the move to hand out flyer at the music festival was “community action, not industrial action” and “we are in no way seeking to negatively impact or disrupt the festival itself”.
“Many of our members have dedicated countless hours to supporting students involved in the festival and care deeply about its success,” Oosterbaan said.
“They understand the joy this brings to students and their families. Our members would not put that in jeopardy.
“Many families understandably assume that Catholic school staff in South Australia already enjoy equivalent conditions and are genuinely concerned when they discover this is not the case.”
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