More than 1800 school teachers in the NT staged a 24-hour strike on 12 November against job losses and cuts estimated to total $47 million next year.
Twenty nine schools across the territory were shut, with the rest in caretaker mode. Teacher numbers in secondary schools have been cut, increasing class sizes. Another 71 support staff including ESL specialists and school counselors will also lose their jobs.
The cuts will hit remote schools in Aboriginal communities hard, with new staffing allocations to be determined by school attendance, not enrolment. This means less resources for schools that need the funding most.
Six hundred teachers attended a stop work meeting in Darwin during the strike, voting to continue their action with further four hour regional stoppages across the NT.
