The doctrinal and strategic problems of the South Australian Institute of Teachers

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THE ^DOCTRINAL AND STRATEGTC PROBLEMS OF THE SOUTH

AUSTRALIAN ]NSTITUTE OF ^TEA

Adrian

R. Vicary, B.A.,

Dip.Ed.

PoLitics

Department,

University of

Adelaide

Thesis submitted

for the

Degree

of

Master

of Arts' University of

Adelaide

23 December 1982

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Chapter

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2

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6

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TARLI] OI' ^CONI'IINTS

fntroduction

Cl-ass and Professionalism Unity

The

Pursuit of Professional

^Status

Political Neutrality

Industrial Potitics

^anrl

Political Affiliation

Relations wi bh

the

Deprrrtmen'b Conclusion

Bibliography

Pa.r¡e

4

1 7 39 73 11 ^lu

155 181 201 207

SUMMARY

South Austrah-an teachers have been represented by

a

single

organization since 1951.

^{The South}

Australian Institute of

^{Teachers (Snff)}

has attempted.

to

^be both

a

professi-onal

association

and

a

trad.e

union,

and

this

d.ual

strategy

^{can be} explained. as

a

^prod.uct

of the

ambiguous cl-ass

location of teachers.

^Although

they sell their

labour-power,

they

do not

directly create

surplus

valuei they are pald out of

revenue, and are separated from

other sections of the

working

class by

economic,

political

and

ideological factors. In its

^attempts

to lift the status of

^teachers'

SAIT has adopted an occupational

strategy

^{which has} subordinated

lts

trade uni-on

functlon to the pursuit of the

elements

of

an

ideal-typical

^{model of}

professionalism.

^The ldeology

to

^{which teachers adhere}

distorts their recognition of their relation to the social structure,

^and

aligns

them with

the interests of the

dominant cfass.

professionalism

is

^used by teachers as

a

l-ever

to

improve

their

status,

but it also

moderates

their

^{d.emand.s as workers}

to a fevef

acceptable

to

^the

state.

^Subject

to state

mediation as

a

form

of

occupational ^control-,

teachers are

vulnerable to state

^pressure

to act in

accordance

with

^the

professional

modeli

but at the

same

time

as

the state

^d.emands

responsibility' it

withholds occupational ^autonomy from

teachers.

^Tho

relationship

^bctween

toac¡ors

and

tho

^gta'tro

lel

moclj.a'bod Lry bho

pollbj.cs of

conooníiull,

In

^wl¡i.cli

SAIT

is

^delegated

the function of

managlng and

containing confl-ict

^and

dissent

among teachers.

As

a

prod.uct

of

^economic

conditions in late twentieth

^{century Austral-ia}

cl-oser

industrial- links

have been established ^between rrwhiterr and ^rrblue col-lartt

workers.

The

significance of

SAIT as

a

case study

of

^teachersl

organi-zations

in

Austral-ia

lies in its decision to reject

membership

of

the Austral-ian Council-

of

Trade Unions

at a

tiure when

all other

mainland

teacherst

organizations favoured

lndustrial- unity.

Anal-ysis

of the

reasons

for

SAITTs

decision

demonstrates

the particular strength of the

ideology

of

professionalism

in

South

Australia.

SAIT has avoided fragmentati-on through

a

commitment

to unity

^and

political neutrality

which have been

crucial-

supports

for its

occupational

strategy

and

the tactical

noderation embodied

in it.

^{But as}

the

economic

cri-sis

heightens contradictj-ons among

sections of the

teaching

force, it

places strai-ns on both

unity

and

neuùrality,

r¿hich

further

exacerbate the fundamental

tension.

^A

future

resol-ution

of

SAITTs

tactical

^di-lemmas

wilf

take

place

in the context of a

teaching

force

more

politically

aware

of its

subjection to the

process

of

proletarianj_zation.

;

This thesis

contains no

material

which has been aceepted.

for

the

award.

of

any

other

d.egreo

or diplona in

any

university.

To the

best of

ny knowled.ge and

bel1ef, this thesis

contains no naterial-

previously

published

or

r^rritten by another person, except where d.ue reference

is

made i.n

the text of the thesis.

A.R. Vicary

r

wish

to

acknow]-edge

the

co-operation

of Mr.

Bevan connor, General

Secretary,

South

Australian Instltute of

Teachers.