Latest news with #TeachersFederation
CBC
03-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
1 year in, teachers' union says phone ban boosts students' focus, but more action needed
Social Sharing It's been nearly a full school year since Prince Edward Island introduced restrictions on cellphone use for students, and teachers say they're seeing positive results. Andy Doran, president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation, said the changes have helped students focus better in class. "They were more engaged. There was better work being done. Students were asking more questions, and [there was] an overall improvement in the engagement of the students," Doran told CBC's Island Morning. But he believes the policy is just the beginning when it comes to addressing the larger issue of screen time. Under the policy, students in grades K-6 must have their phones silenced and out of sight while they are at school unless they are given specific permission from a teacher. Students in grades 7-12 are allowed to use their phones during lunch and other breaks but must follow restrictions during class time. While there have been some rule violations, Doran said that's expected. He added that younger students, in particular, have adapted well. "The pressure was off to have to constantly respond to social media and constantly respond to friend groups and [what] helped with the implementation of the whole thing is that the students bought into it, and their parents certainly did too," he said. Addressing broader screen time habits Doran said school cellphone policies are only one piece of a bigger puzzle. "When I say screen time, I'm talking about not just school. I'm talking about 24 hours a day, the issue that our young people and younger adults are spending way too much time on screens, and not enough time in conversation or social interaction with others," he said. He said teachers are seeing the effects of excessive screen use outside of school, particularly when it comes to attendance. Some students who stay up late playing video games or using social media can struggle to attend or fully participate in school the next day. "We're seeing a lot of our attendance is attached to screen time," he said. That's why Doran believes education around responsible screen use should become part of the school curriculum in the coming years. While schools and teachers play a role, families must also take responsibility, he said. "We only have the students for six hours… But what I'm talking about is the other 18 hours a day, the other 150 days a year when the students aren't in school," he said. "Those guidelines have to come into play at home. The parents have to take the initiative to make sure screen time is limited outside school." They were more engaged. There was better work being done. Students were asking more questions. — Andy Doran, president of the P.E.I. Teachers' Federation As summer approaches, Doran is encouraging families to plan ahead and help children spend more time outdoors to avoid slipping back into unhealthy habits. "At our teachers convention last fall, a speaker got up and said that in the past, 'We'd think nothing of letting our kids walk down the street. Now, we don't let [our] kids walk down the street, but we allow them to go into their rooms with a cellphone and close the door,'" Doran said. "That got me thinking. That's so true, how much danger there is in a cellphone when it's unsupervised. So if I was advising parents: Continue to supervise their cellphone use, continue to limit their screen time use, and have a great summer."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
‘Disgraceful': Fury over controversial cuts
Workers have rallied outside NSW parliament and in regional centres across the state, warning that the Minns government's proposed changes to workers compensation laws would leave injured employees without adequate support. The protest, led by Unions NSW on Monday, drew supporters from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, the Teachers Federation, and a broad coalition of workers furious over what they say is a betrayal by the Labor government. Protests were also held in Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle as part of a co-ordinated campaign against the Exposure Workers Compensation Bill, which unions claim will gut access to compensation for psychological injuries. Among the proposed changes is a plan to lift the permanent impairment threshold for psychological injury to 31 per cent – a move Unions NSW and the Teachers Federation say would prevent up to 95 per cent of workers from receiving damages. There is also outrage over a proposal requiring workers alleging psychological injury caused by bullying, racial abuse, or sexual harassment to obtain a court determination before being eligible for compensation. Sue Walton, an aged care assistant-in-nursing with more than 20 years' experience and a history of workplace injuries, attended the rally, arguing the changes would prevent people like her from accessing workers compensation. 'You'll be sitting at home without any support or any medical help through workers compensation if this Bill goes through,' she said. 'You get penalised when you're on workers comp anyway because you don't get your full wage, but now they want to take that away from every single worker. It's disgraceful.' Retired union worker Kenneth, who spent 20 years in the manufacturing industry, said the proposed changes would undo hard-fought gains. 'To have governments breaking their pledge is not a good thing and this is a big issue for everybody,' he said. 'You have to assist workers, not cut their rights.' He said anyone injured at work, either physically or mentally, knew how difficult it could be to access compensation. 'I've had lots of injuries in my time and it's always been a hard battle,' Kenneth said. 'We made some progress over the years and we don't need them to be stripped back; if anything, you need more help.' Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said frustration among workers was turning to anger. 'There is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey acknowledged the Minns government had made progress in other areas but said these proposed reforms were undermining its credibility. 'These sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce,' he said. 'I think they're getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce.'
West Australian
26-05-2025
- Health
- West Australian
‘Disgraceful': Workers slam Labor's compensation plan
Workers have rallied outside NSW parliament and in regional centres across the state, warning that the Minns government's proposed changes to workers compensation laws would leave injured employees without adequate support. The protest, led by Unions NSW on Monday, drew supporters from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, the Teachers Federation, and a broad coalition of workers furious over what they say is a betrayal by the Labor government. Protests were also held in Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle as part of a co-ordinated campaign against the Exposure Workers Compensation Bill, which unions claim will gut access to compensation for psychological injuries. Among the proposed changes is a plan to lift the permanent impairment threshold for psychological injury to 31 per cent – a move Unions NSW and the Teachers Federation say would prevent up to 95 per cent of workers from receiving damages. There is also outrage over a proposal requiring workers alleging psychological injury caused by bullying, racial abuse, or sexual harassment to obtain a court determination before being eligible for compensation. Sue Walton, an aged care assistant-in-nursing with more than 20 years' experience and a history of workplace injuries, attended the rally, arguing the changes would prevent people like her from accessing workers compensation. 'You'll be sitting at home without any support or any medical help through workers compensation if this Bill goes through,' she said. 'You get penalised when you're on workers comp anyway because you don't get your full wage, but now they want to take that away from every single worker. It's disgraceful.' Retired union worker Kenneth, who spent 20 years in the manufacturing industry, said the proposed changes would undo hard-fought gains. 'To have governments breaking their pledge is not a good thing and this is a big issue for everybody,' he said. 'You have to assist workers, not cut their rights.' He said anyone injured at work, either physically or mentally, knew how difficult it could be to access compensation. 'I've had lots of injuries in my time and it's always been a hard battle,' Kenneth said. 'We made some progress over the years and we don't need them to be stripped back; if anything, you need more help.' Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said frustration among workers was turning to anger. 'There is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey acknowledged the Minns government had made progress in other areas but said these proposed reforms were undermining its credibility. 'These sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce,' he said. 'I think they're getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce.'
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
‘Disgraceful': Workers slam Labor's compensation plan
Workers have rallied outside NSW parliament and in regional centres across the state, warning that the Minns government's proposed changes to workers compensation laws would leave injured employees without adequate support. The protest, led by Unions NSW on Monday, drew supporters from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Association, the Teachers Federation, and a broad coalition of workers furious over what they say is a betrayal by the Labor government. Protests were also held in Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle as part of a co-ordinated campaign against the Exposure Workers Compensation Bill, which unions claim will gut access to compensation for psychological injuries. Among the proposed changes is a plan to lift the permanent impairment threshold for psychological injury to 31 per cent – a move Unions NSW and the Teachers Federation say would prevent up to 95 per cent of workers from receiving damages. There is also outrage over a proposal requiring workers alleging psychological injury caused by bullying, racial abuse, or sexual harassment to obtain a court determination before being eligible for compensation. Sue Walton, an aged care assistant-in-nursing with more than 20 years' experience and a history of workplace injuries, attended the rally, arguing the changes would prevent people like her from accessing workers compensation. 'You'll be sitting at home without any support or any medical help through workers compensation if this Bill goes through,' she said. 'You get penalised when you're on workers comp anyway because you don't get your full wage, but now they want to take that away from every single worker. It's disgraceful.' Retired union worker Kenneth, who spent 20 years in the manufacturing industry, said the proposed changes would undo hard-fought gains. 'To have governments breaking their pledge is not a good thing and this is a big issue for everybody,' he said. 'You have to assist workers, not cut their rights.' He said anyone injured at work, either physically or mentally, knew how difficult it could be to access compensation. 'I've had lots of injuries in my time and it's always been a hard battle,' Kenneth said. 'We made some progress over the years and we don't need them to be stripped back; if anything, you need more help.' Unions NSW secretary Mark Morey said frustration among workers was turning to anger. 'There is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey acknowledged the Minns government had made progress in other areas but said these proposed reforms were undermining its credibility. 'These sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce,' he said. 'I think they're getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce.'
News.com.au
25-05-2025
- Politics
- News.com.au
Workers to rally outside NSW parliament in fight to quash workers compensation reform
NSW is on the brink of more worker chaos after months of train strikes and nurse walkouts, with the teachers' union poised to take their fight to stop reforms to workers compensation to the steps of state parliament. The NSW Teachers Federation and Unions NSW will rally outside parliament on Monday as part of a statewide campaign, including regional hubs such as Tweed Heads, Wagga Wagga, and Newcastle, to stop the proposed Exposure Workers Compensation Bill. Released last week, the draft bill aims to dramatically alter the compensation claim system. Among the changes are plans to lift the permanent impairment threshold for damages for psychological injury to 31 per cent, which unions, including the Teachers Federation and Unions NSW, claim would leave up to 95 per cent of workers unable to make a claim. The changes, which also face opposition from industry groups and legal experts, also propose requiring workers claiming psychological injury because of racial or sexual harassment, or bullying, to obtain a court determination before receiving compensation. Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey said there was a 'great frustration' among workers planning to rally on Monday that a 'Labor government would even contemplate doing this', adding that frustration was quickly turning to anger. 'When they get into the detail (of the proposal), there is a growing anger around why (the NSW government) are doing this,' he said. Mr Morey said while workers 'are acknowledging some of the good things' the Minns government has done, 'these sorts of fights detract from them being seen as a positive Labor government to a government that's fighting with all its workforce'. 'I think they're (the Labor government) getting a name for themselves of always fighting with their workforce,' he said. 'They should be in a position where they're supporting their workforce.' The latest salvo between the Labor government and the unions comes after months of protracted, and oftentimes hostile, negotiations with the Combined Rail Unions, led by the Rail, Tram, and Bus Union NSW. Industrial action wrought by the union brought Sydney's vast train network to a near-stand still on multiple occasions since pay negotiations began last year. The RTBU and other rail-related unions were also dragged before the Federal Court and the Fair Work Commission by the state government in a bid to forward negotiations and stop industrial action. Earlier this year, the Fair Work Commission upheld an order for a 'cooling off period', pausing industrial actions and encouraging the Combined Rail Unions and the state government to continue negotiations. That period is set to expire on July 30, 2025. The NSW government has also faced pressure from the NSW Nurses and Midwives Associations, whose members are expected to join Monday's rally, over their pay and conditions, including hospital ramping. In November, thousands of nurses walked off the job. The NSW government also reached an agreement to increase the pay of police and to fully-fund the state's public school system. While not discussing strikes yet, Mr Morey urged the state government to take the proposal 'off the table' and 'have a tripartite approach with government, business and unions to actually fix the system. 'I know business finds the system problematic and doesn't help them returning people to work. We need to actually have a system that does that and that means restructuring the whole system and that's a big job so we should take the time to get it right'. If the proposal was passed by parliament in its current form, Mr Morey warned workers who would have traditionally received mental health support will no longer be able to get it 'and will be forced onto the care of their families or the federal welfare system'. 'They won't be able to return to work because there will be no support mechanisms in place,' he said. The first public hearing into the proposed changes was held last week. NSW Treasurer Daniel Moohkey used his address to the parliamentary inquiry to draw a clear line in the sand over payments to the Treasury Managed Fund, the government's self-insurer, telling the committee he would not authorise further cash injections. Mr Moohkey told the committee during his address that the upcoming state budget would report a $2.6bn writedown arising from the TMF, and that since 2018 the state government had borrowed a whopping $6.1bn so that the TMF's assets equalled its liabilities. 'As the TMF continues to deteriorate, the pressure for cash injections grows,' he said. 'I will not be authorising any further injections. Not until parliament decides its collective response to a scheme that most acknowledge is failing. Not when that money is coming at the expense of schools, hospitals or kids in need of out-of-home care. 'That choice is clear for me.' Questioned during the hearing over whether he believed the reforms would solve both a financial problem and 'workers getting injured', Mr Moohkey said he did and that the Labor state government 'accepts the fact that these are hard changes'. 'I'm here to say to the parliament – doing nothing is not an option.' Mr Moohkey said. 'Doing nothing is to lock in a system we know is failing. Doing nothing is to condemn even more workers to a system that's not succeeding, and to ask businesses to pay more and more, knowing full well that those resources are not being well expended.' Business NSW chief executive Daniel Hunter agreed the current system was 'broken'. He told the inquiry the nominal insurer, the private sector workers compensation scheme, had seen premiums rise by eight per cent each year, and that 'on dollar terms, the scheme went backwards by $1.8bn last year, all while premiums went up by more than double CPI. If nothing is done, Mr Hunter warned 'then the scheme costs will send some businesses bankrupt'. 'There is also a human cost to this. The pressure and stress it places on business owners struggling to survive. 'NSW has a once in a generation opportunity to reform the workers compensation system.'
