October 23, 2015 | News
Who doesn’t love free food?
The Dawson Teachers’ Union together with Dawson Student Union offered students free foods and drink to get their attention and educate them why teachers are going on strike.
Through free foods like samosas, cookies, apples and coffee, they were able to attract students to come to their tables. In addition, they also distributed some balloons that had a piece of paper with information hanging at the end of each string. Of course, the DSU and the teachers, who were actually there, trying to check students’ papers, did their main intention, to inform the students about the teachers’ stand on austerity.
Some students are missing the important points about this issue. Some tend to pretend that they really know why teachers are going on strike while the others honestly admit that they do not know the reasons why. Worse, these students cannot even define right the word “austerity.”
The DSU has been supporting the teachers and staff in this austerity journey. Thus, as an action, they want to give the students the right information they are missing. Positively, they are hoping that these students will spread the words that they learned from the event to other students.
The reasons why teachers will go on strike: Pay freeze for 3 years with 1% pay increase after those 3 years and 2% increase in total of 5 years, no compensation for department coordination (more work without pay), more difficult to get tenure, harder to get salary protection, a choice between coming into work sick or loosing tenure and pay security.