Union win Big pay rises for long day care staff p2
The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 44 #6) August 2024 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845
he NSW/ACT Independent Education Union (vol 32 #8) December 2012
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The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 42 #5) July 2022 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845
St Gregory’s stop work P4
Pay rises ahead P3
Special 24-page issue Full rally coverage p2, 8-18
Parramatta CEO student services dispute
Messages of support pour in Messages of support are flowing in for Parramatta CEO student services staff, many of whom have been asked at short notice to reapply for positions that are shrouded in uncertainty and at a reduced salary. The IEU lodged a dispute with Fair Work Australia over the restructure, which impacts more than 100 student services staff, the majority of them counsellors, but including psychologists, speech pathologist and other specialists. The Union has also been fully engaged in asserting members’ rights, assisting with access to redundancy and compensation payments, and advising and representing members in meetings with employers over future roles,
redundancies and redeployment options. Many school chapters have passed motions stating their concern at the CEO’s decision and its failure to consult with affected employees and their Union “as required both by relevant industrial instruments and common courtesy” and the “alarming indication of the CEO Parramatta’s attitude to dealing with the rights of all its employees”. Chapters are calling for more time to facilitate “full and proper consultation”. IEU Deputy Secretary Gloria Taylor said Parramatta CEO’s approach to restructuring student support staff would lead to “a reduction rather than an improvement in student services and school support”. Read more IEU fights for better deal P2 Letters of support P4 Branches speak out P20
oadshow spotlights freeze Federal Education Minister Peter Garrett, Senator Matthew Thistlewaite and NSW Shadow Treasurer Michael Daley at Maroubra. St Patrick's Primary Principal Annie Duggan with NSW Opposition Leader John Robertson (above), and IEU Assistant Secretary Mark Northam, Rep Judith Adams, IEU Organsier Therese Fitzgibbons and Annie Duggan. pavements to help get signatures on a petition calling for the cuts to be reversed. Mr Garrett said the O’Farrell Government’s $1.7 billion in cuts will cause serious pain to the State’s educators and affect the quality of schooling statewide. “The O’Farrell Government’s cuts will lead to 1800 jobs slashed, an almost 10% increase in TAFE fees and a whopping $116 million in cuts to independent and Catholic schools,” Mr Garrett said. Meanwhile Mr Robertson, while touring St Patrick’s Primary School, Wallsend, near Newcastle, said any campaign to overturn the funding freeze would be lengthy and time consuming but vital
if schools did not want their services reduced to the minimum. During his visit, St Patrick’s Principal Annie Duggan and IEU teaching and support staff members told Mr Robertson of their concerns, particularly in relation to special needs students and the impact that the funding freeze will have on the number of teacher aide hours available in 2013 and beyond. The Principal spoke of the strong links that St Patrick’s has with the local community and the expectations that parents have of the school. Funding cuts would limit the capacity of the school to provide its current range of services and
More than 20,000 teachers and support staff took a stand for better pay and conditions on 30 June as the IEU and the NSW Teachers Federation united for a historic strike, rallies and marches throughout NSW and the ACT. It is the first such joint action since 1996. At the Sydney rally, Catholic systemic teachers and support staff sporting bright yellow t-shirts and waving clever placards convened in the St Mary’s Cathedral forecourt before stepping out onto College Street, marching proudly towards their government school colleagues, who were unmissable in red t-shirts. At the Hyde Park intersection, the two unions merged, surging onto Macquarie Street united behind a single banner sending a powerful message: “Teachers united”. Chanting “Hear our voice!” and “More than thanks!” at full volume, the massive crowd, accompanied by a media pack of major networks, made its way to Parliament House. The NSW Premier and Catholic employers were put on notice. “The pressure on the teaching profession has reached boil-over point,” said IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Mark Northam, addressing the rally that stretched from Hunter Street in the north to Hyde Park in the south, with one media outlet describing it as “one of NSW’s biggest ever strikes”.
“Teaching has become a profoundly more complex job over the past two decades. Yet over that same period, salaries have failed to reflect the incredibly demanding nature of the work of teachers and support staff. “So how are we going to fix it?” Northam asked. “It’s quite straightforward. Raise teacher salaries so they’re comparable with other professions. Increase release time to provide teachers with the capacity to do their job. And ensure Catholic systemic support staff are paid the same as their government school counterparts.” IEUA NSW/ACT Branch President Christine Wilkinson was similarly unequivocal. “Our Catholic system is broken,” she said. “Teachers are broken. They’re drowning in a sea of ever-increasing workloads and admin tasks. Our support staff aren’t getting a fair go. “Work-life balance has long gone. Good teachers are leaving the profession because they want their lives back. Young graduates do not consider teaching to be a viable career – they see and sense their teachers are exhausted.” Wilkinson reiterated the IEU’s key claims. “Pay teachers what they’re worth – an increase of 10% to 15% over two years. Give our support staff a fair deal. Let teachers teach – cut the paperwork and allow time to plan. And end the staff shortages. Together, we can do this.”
NSW Teachers Federation President Angelo Gavrielatos likewise did not mince words. “We all know about the teacher shortage, but this crisis cannot be fixed without fixing the salaries and the workload problem,” he said. “The Premier said in April that he would reconsider the government’s wages policy. He said no public sector workers should be worse off because of inflation – which is predicted to be 7% this year. “We are serious about negotiating an agreement to deliver what teachers in schools need. But in order for us to do so, they’ve got to scrap that pay cap,” Gavrielatos said. Catholic employers and the NSW Government were left in no doubt as to how strongly teachers and support staff feel about the crisis in schools. “The union is calling on Catholic employers to publicly state their position and support our claims for increased salaries,” Northam said. So, what’s next? Employers, it’s your move. The Catholic employers have said they cannot meet with the IEU again until the end of July. Monica Crouch Journalist Secretary’s speech and Sydney rally photos, pp 12-13
place greater pressure on the parent body in terms of fundraising. IEU Assistant Secretary Mark Northam highlighted the reality that the largest cost component of running a school is salaries and that funding reductions would keep salary outcomes in the doldrums. He said the funding freeze represented an unprecedented attack on the funding of non-government schools. Sign the petition online at www. stopthecuts.com.au and lobby your MP at www.ieu.asn.au Read more Funding freeze P3
Commemorating 70 years of strength and solidarity pp9-12