Thousands of Australian Teachers, Transport Staff Join Strike for Better Conditions, Wages

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Thousands of teachers and transport employees in Sydney went on strike on Tuesday to demand better working conditions, the first industrial action of this scale in a decade, unions said.

"What an extraordinary day. Over 50,000 teachers, rail workers and bus drivers stood up to the Government, went on strike and demanded a better working life. This is people using their collective power to put their working life and destiny in their own hands," local unions tweeted.

According to a follow-up tweet, the demonstration called on the state government to address such issues as "job security, overwork, unpaid overtime and stagnant wages."

The actions of today's strikers help all of us.

Job security, overwork, unpaid overtime and stagnant wages - these are the shared concerns of millions of Australians.

The shared ambition for a better working life.

Today's strikes put this ambition on top of the agenda.

— Unions NSW (@unionsnsw) December 7, 2021

According to the 9News media outlet, educators urged the government to raise their wages by 7.5% a year, as well as reverse staff cuts while the state lacks over 3,000 teaching positions, causing increased workloads for remaining workers.

Rail employees and bus drivers demanded their salaries be raised by at least 2.5%, the outlet said.

The major strike caused disruptions in transport traffic and the closure of around 400 schools across New South Wales.