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Is a helping hand taken for granted?

15/05/2008 4:08:00 PM
General assistants (GA) at high schools are being taken for granted, claims a St George worker.

Neil Clarke, 50, of Carlton has worked as a full-time GA at Georges River College's Hurstville Boys campus for more than 12 years.

He said he was being transferred to St George Girls High School and his current position was being advertised to two-and-a-half days a week.

Some of the Hurstville students are angry about the move and want Mr Clarke, or "Krusher'' as they know him, to stay.

Mr Clarke said his duties included setting up the hall for assemblies, mowing the lawns, fixing broken windows and lights, and general classroom maintenance.

"I'm lucky because I can go to another full-time job, but the point is that my job here cannot be done in two-and-a-half days.''

"They say it's [my transfer] because of falling student numbers, but our student numbers have been below 500 for four years now and they've only just realised,'' Mr Clarke said.

"The Department of Education's staffing department has been telling me that this has been happening at 20 other school and there are many GA jobs advertised on the department's website as casual positions.

''Students and taxpayers deserve better.''

Billy Billiris, a former student at the school, said "Krusher'' would be missed.

"When I first came to the school he was very supportive and kept me motivated to stay in school more than the teachers,'' Billy said.

"Every kid in the school knows him, gets along with him, and everyone is angry that he is leaving.''

A department spokesman said Mr Clarke was being transferred because school enrolments had fallen below the threshold for a full-time GA.

"When enrolments at schools fall, very minor maintenance issues are reduced,'' the spokesman said.

Mr Clarke's last day at the campus is Friday May 16.

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Comments


I would like to know what reasoning is behind the spokesman's comments. Obviously he knows little of what General Assistants duty statement. Surely Mr Clarke has had enough "minor maintenance" issues over the last few years with the lower student numbers. I don't think the area of the school decreases because student numbers are down. Might I point out that General Assistants are the lowest paid workers in the DET. Yet they have been gradually had increased duties forced on them. DET use facility maintenance companies to do maintenance. After promising GAs time would be freed by doing this in fact it has had the opposite effect. GAs now are the unofficial "site manager". A question for the DET. What is going to happen at Hurstville Boys High when there is a serious maintenance problem and all teachers are "on class"? No GA to organise repairs and the Principal is marking the oval for tomorrows football game. This stupidity can only result in increased costs to the school and more money for the maintenance company. Brett Hammond Chairman GA Working Party
Posted by Brett Hammond on 16/05/2008 2:16:16 PM
Well said Brett - I also am a GA & I am not surprised with the spokesperson's stupid comments - typical DET garbage. The dept is blocking moves by you & your committee to upgrade the ga's statement of duties & paying us a decent wage.
Posted by Wes White on 26/05/2008 10:44:10 AM
Sillies, the department knows something we who work on the ground don't; When student numbers drop the grass grows slower, buildings fall apart slower, staff and students tread more lightly, and the destructive students and after hours vandals don't come to school anymore.
Posted by greg shepherd on 30/05/2008 9:38:06 PM
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Georges River College's Hurstville Boys Campus Neil Clarke claims the role of a general assistant is being taken for granted. Picture: Lisa McMahon
Georges River College's Hurstville Boys Campus Neil Clarke claims the role of a general assistant is being taken for granted. Picture: Lisa McMahon
Q: Should Neil Clarke be transferred to another campus





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