Katherine teachers will once again put down their pens this week, as an ongoing dispute with the Northern Territory Government continues.
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In late August, teachers across the region walked off the job amid the ongoing enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations which have come with a pay offer from the Department of Education that is 'unacceptable to all teachers', according to Katherine Region President of the Australian Education Union NT, Rodney Gregg.
Mr Gregg said the Government's imposed four-year pay freeze was 'unacceptable to all teachers'.
"NT teachers are now one of the lowest paid in the country, which makes it very difficult to attract or retain teachers throughout the Territory," he said.
But when the Katherine Region teachers are putting down their tools on Wednesday between 9am and 1pm, they won't just be protesting against the wage freeze, but also to highlight a Katherine-region specific issue.
For schools across the NT it has become increasingly difficult to retain and attract staff amid the national teacher shortage due to higher salaries being offered in some southern states and the often difficult nature of teaching in the NT.
Among a variety of factors, it is Katherine's ongoing housing crisis across the region that will drive Wednesday's strike action.
"There is little or no rental assistance offered, despite extremely high rental prices," Mr Gregg said.
"The cost of living here is an issue.
"There is no incentive to attract new teachers into the region."
Mr Gregg said the cost of rent combined with fuel and food costs was increasing, while teachers were 'expected to survive with a four-year pay freeze'.
"The government has not made it clear to the Katherine teachers (what they will be doing) regarding rental support and as such many teachers will leave the region.
"Education is the only sector not considered 'remote' by the government, unlike other departments such as police and defence.
"Schools in the region fear a critical teacher shortage for the 2023 school year and many educators are returning interstate with the lure of higher pay, rental assistance and relocation allowances.
"With many teachers considering their future in the town, the next big issue is what incentives will encourage new teachers into the region to fill the vacancies.
"Term 4 is traditionally a stressful time for all teachers as they prepare assessments and reports for their students, they do not want the added stress of not knowing their future in Katherine.
"Despite numerous invitations to discuss the matter, the government and education has remained silent.
"Parents of the students are supportive of the teachers actions as it will affect their child's schooling."
Australian Education Union branch secretary Adam Lampe said the union would not countenance an agreement that threatened the 'ability to recruit and retain' teachers in the NT, and which seriously undermined the viability of the public education system.
"Ultimately the people who are suffering are the kids," he said.
On Wednesday, the Power and Water Union will join Katherine teachers in the planned four-hour stop action.