SSTUWA members enthusiastically participated in the Give the Cap the Boot sticker day in October to increase awareness of the union’s General Agreement 2021 negotiations and the Give the Cap the Boot campaign.

Members were asked to wear a sticker and talk to their colleagues about the importance of Giving the Cap the Boot. They were asked to take photos of themselves and their colleagues in this process.

The response we got was overwhelming, with a multitude of photos being sent to the union and posted on social media – revealing the depth of feeling by members about removing the cap.

The cap is the wage cap – the WA Labor Government policy on freezing wage rises for all public sector workers at no more than $1,000.

It has been here for four years and it needs to go. Wages in the public sector no longer keep up with cost of living. Public sector workers, including educators, are leaving the public sector for the private sector where wages are better and workload is more manageable.

We need to keep the public sector as an attractive career to secure its long-term viability.

The SSTUWA is part of the Public Sector Alliance, a group comprised of various WA trade unions, which has been campaigning for the wage cap to go.

Your actions, such as participating in Give the Cap the Boot sticker day, have contributed the campaign’s success so far in getting the state government to agree to review the wage cap policy this year, two years ahead of schedule.

Continue to have these conversations with your colleagues, friends, family and your local MP.

Furthermore, we would like to thank members for taking a break from work on World Teachers’ Day 2021 to support the SSTUWA’s efforts to highlight the need for workload reduction for educators.

Your hard work and solidarity counts – stay tuned to eNews and our social media channels to keep updated on future actions that may be undertaken to secure the best pay and work conditions for public educators.