Secretary of the Teachers Professional Association of Queensland Tracy Tully came out against the letter, due to the fact the reprimanded teachers had been working in schools throughout two years of Covid.
Education Department assistant director-general in human resources Anne Crowley penned a letter telling hundreds of teachers who refused to get the jab that they would face incremental pay cuts over 20 weeks.
It came after all unvaccinated teachers in the state were placed under investigation for failing to comply with a direction from the Education Department and were suspended without pay from December 2021.
As per the Public Service Act, if a teacher is being investigated they are suspended on full pay unless it is a criminal charge, The Courier Mail reported.
An 'unconscionable' letter has been sent out advising teachers in an Aussie state they will have their pay docked if they haven’t got the Covid-19 vaccine.
"I have considered very carefully your response. However there is nothing in the submissions made by you that lead me to consider the imposition if a disciplinary action is not a reasonably appropriate and proportionate outcome," Ms Crowley said in the letter.
"However, you will notice that the disciplinary action I have determined to impose is lesser than that proposed.
Comment: How merciful of them.
"Your conduct in failing to comply with the direction posed a risk to the health and safety of your co-workers, students and members of the public which was mitigated only by the steps taken by the department to suspend you from duty."
Tracy Tully, secretary of the Teachers Professional Association of Queensland, spoke out against the letter and said the teachers in question had been working in schools throughout two years of the pandemic.
An 'unconscionable' letter has been sent out advising teachers in an Aussie state they will have their pay docked if they haven't got the Covid-19 vaccine.
"It's unconscionable that imposing a financial penalty or any disciplinary measure would somehow be appropriate because these educators have not broken any law or engaged in serious misconduct in the workplace," she said.
"The only thing they are guilty of is not abiding by a direction issued by the department demanding that they get vaccinated against Covid.
"This latest measure is like a triple caning and means they have now been penalised financially three times."
Comment: The precedent has been set.
The Courier Mail also reported additional letters were sent this month to unvaccinated teachers who were forced out of Education Department housing.
The letter comes amid an Australia-wide teacher shortage, forcing the government to rethink strategies to attract skilled university graduates to the classroom.
Earlier this month, The Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) announced it would begin recruiting university-educated workers to earn while they learn on the job.
Comment: So, unskilled people who will be posing as teachers?
Federal Education Minister Jason Clare said the number of teachers in training had dropped 16 per cent since 2012.
"There are more kids going to school now than ever before ... but there are fewer people going on to university to study teaching," he said.
Comment: Is it any wonder why?
"More and more teachers are leaving the profession early, either because they feel burnt out, worn out, or for other reasons."
Mr Clare said the federal government was offering up incentives as high as $40,000 for the "best and brightest" university graduates to become teachers.
Comment: Well, to be fair, they've extra in their budget now that they're arbitrarily docking teachers pay and hiring unqualified staff.
The High Achievers Teachers program also aims to encourage more professionals than ever to jump ship and join the education system.
The AITSL proposal said it aims to make a career in teaching "attractive", insisting high rewards for the "best performing" teachers.
"There is evidence that increasing the level of pay for high-level positions would make the profession more attractive than more expensive generalised pay rises,'' the submission states.
Comment: Incentivizing competitive people who are in it for the bonuses is unlikely to attract those most suitable for teaching children.
"Australia is facing a critical shortage of teachers due to a number of factors including growing school enrolments, a drop in the number of individuals enrolled in teaching degrees, an ageing workforce and a percentage of teachers leaving the profession to embark on different careers each year.
"Clear action is needed to ensure that a career in teaching is an attractive one.''
Comment: