More than 500 teachers and support staff within the Catholic Diocese of Armidale set to strike in Tamworth

Of the hundreds of Independent Education Union members in the Armidale diocese - which stretches from Quirindi right to the Queensland border - 98 per cent voted yes to taking industrial action.

Members want a 10 to 15 per cent pay rise over two years, less paperwork, and more planning time, claiming teachers are "exhausted, burnt out and leaving the industry".

Union secretary Mark Northam told the Leader the overwhelming call to strike was a reflection of the mood in the industry, and taking industrial action is a decision members don't take lightly.

"What we're requesting for our members is a fair pay deal, beyond the NSW salary cap of 2.5 per cent," he said.

"Even though we're on a federal award, we get caught because the Catholic employers won't pay us more than what a state school teacher earns.

"They're capped at 2.5 per cent, but inflation is running at 5.1 per cent, so our members just will not accept the proposed 2.04 per cent pay rise in the current climate."

The decision comes just weeks after public teachers across the North West walked off the job, claiming the education system is in "crisis".

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The union's Tamworth branch president, Libby Lockwood, said a large number of local Catholic school teachers are sick of workload issues, mass teacher shortages and "terrible pay".

She said staffing shortages and difficulties hiring casual teachers, mean teachers aren't getting their entitled release from face-to-face learning, and the issue is getting worse.

"It means that teachers can't go and attend professional development because their classes won't be covered," she said.

"I've seen this get hugely worse. Just last week we had five teachers away from schools, we had NAPLAN occurring, we had numerous things happening and we could not get one casual.

"Support staff in Catholic schools are paid less than those in the public sector, so that's not good enough either. Without support staff in schools, teachers can't do their job."

Local teachers will join the 17,000 teachers and support staff in 540 Catholic diocesan schools throughout NSW and the ACT who will strike on Friday, May 27.

A rally will take place in Tamworth at the West Leagues Club.

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