Qld: Teachers to stop work next week over housing

AAP General News (Australia)
04-24-2008
Qld: Teachers to stop work next week over housing

BRISBANE, April 24 AAP - About 500 teachers in remote areas of far north Queensland
will stop work for an hour next week to consider a series of 24-hour rolling stoppages
in their campaign for better housing.

Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) president Steve Ryan said stop-work meetings would
be held on Torres Strait islands from 2pm to 3pm (AEST) on April 29 and on the following
day on Cape York Peninsula and in Gulf communities.

Mr Ryan said the teachers would vote on 24-hour rolling stoppages unless funding was
pledged for secure and regularly maintained housing.

"The QTU has brought a whole raft of problems associated with teacher housing to the
government's attention year after year, and yet our members remain frustrated by a lack
of government response," Mr Ryan said.

"The union estimates that $50 million needs to be injected into the teacher housing
supply and maintenance just to reach acceptable living standards."

AAP rad/pjo/jl/bwl

KEYWORD: TEACHERS

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