In Glen Innes, 47 local teachers from Glen Innes High School, Glen Innes Public School and the TAFE attended a meeting at the Glen Innes and District Services Club.

The teachers viewed a DVD address featuring acting president of the NSW Teachers Federation Bob Libscombe, senior vice president Gary Zadkovich and executive Sue Simpson.

Meanwhile high school students took advantage of the stop work meeting, with reports there were less than 40 students at the school yesterday morning.

Glen Innes Teachers Federation Secretary Veronica McNamara said the representatives outlined the issues facing NSW teachers and discussed the trade offs to long service and sick leave conditions proposed by the government in favour of a 2.5 percent pay rise for the next three years. The trade offs include a reduction in sick leave entitlements from 22 full days and 22 half days a year to just ten and that teachers must have exhausted all long service leave before taking leave without pay.

Further it is estimated 16,000 teachers would reach retirement age by 2012 and 25,000 by 2016.

“In the next four years the government are proposing to replace the teachers at a lower rate just so they can have $150million in their pocket,” Ms McNamara said.

The stop work meeting follows from previous industrial action taken in September, where teachers opposed the governments proposed abolition of the current state-wide staffing transfers system and reduction in required teacher qualifications, especially for TAFE teachers.

If no settlement can be reached teachers are likely to undertake a 48-hour strike at the start of the school year on January 28 and 29.