YEARS STRONG IN 2024
The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 44 #7) November 2024 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845
Independent schools
NOW’S THE TIME FOR A BETTER DEAL Amanda Hioe
Assistant Secretary
After five months of intense negotiations between the IEU and the Association of Independent Schools (AIS), discussions over the multi-enterprise agreement (MEA) for teachers in independent schools have reached an impasse. The points of contention The claims that the IEU put forward for members are modest and progress has been made, but two critical issues remain unresolved: • maintaining the traditional pay premium that independent schools have historically offered over government schools; and • establishing fair, clear, and transparent standards for each school covered under the proposed MEA. Although the union supports the shift towards a single classification pay structure that aligns with other school sectors, the AIS’s proposal for
transitioning existing teachers to the new pay scale is deeply problematic. The proposed transitional arrangements for existing teachers, particularly those with experience, will place them at a distinct disadvantage compared to teachers who would be newly employed at the same school. For instance, experienced teachers who have achieved Proficient status and have five or more years of teaching experience are currently classified as Band 2 (under Standards Model or Band 2 Step 13 under the Hybrid Model). When these teachers transition to the new classification structure, they will be placed at Step 2.4. In contrast, a newly employed teacher with similar experience will commence at Step 2.5, the highest step within the new classification framework. The discrepancy highlights the inequity of the transitional arrangements which will undermine the morale of experienced teachers. Status in bargaining The IEU has raised significant concerns regarding the AIS proposal, clearly outlining the issues our members face. Unfortunately, these concerns
have not been acknowledged. Instead, the AIS has requested the union’s written agreement by no later than 7 November 2024 to move forward with a vote on their proposed draft MEA among their teachers. The IEU believes that the proposed MEA is not yet ready for such a vote. With negotiations stalled, now’s the time to explore new strategies to break this deadlock. New bargaining rules In June 2023, reforms to the industrial landscape introduced new pathways for multi-employer bargaining. This change opens several streams through which MEAs can be created, including: • single-interest bargaining stream; and • cooperative bargaining stream These streams represent different approaches to achieving the same goal: an MEA that improves pay and conditions for teachers. Currently, the IEU’s negotiations with the AIS fall under the cooperative bargaining stream, which relies heavily on co-operation between employers and employees (via their bargaining representatives).
While cooperative bargaining works best in environments where both sides can negotiate in good faith, it limits the union’s ability to advance members’ interests if employers refuse to cooperate. Given the current deadlock in bargaining for teachers in independent schools, we believe it is necessary to switch to the single-interest bargaining stream to better serve our members. Shifting streams The single-interest bargaining stream allows unions to negotiate with groups of employers that share common interests. This stream restores balance to bargaining power, addressing the limitations introduced by the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth). Key advantages of this bargaining stream include: • support from the Fair Work Commission (FWC) in resolving bargaining disputes; and • the ability to take protected industrial action if members choose to do so. Continued on page 6
Sign the petition and say YES: page 6 | Professional and operational staff: page 6
Bargaining starts in Catholic systemic schools Carol Matthews Secretary
The IEU will commence bargaining for teachers and general employees in coming days. There will be two separate sets of negotiations – for teachers and general employees in the 10 dioceses in NSW and the ACT (with the exception of Broken Bay, which has a separate agreement). Our claim for the 10 dioceses The IEU has developed a claim based on the resolution passed at our August Council of more than 100 member delegates, with additional technical items. The claim includes:
• Three-year term: a three-year term of the enterprise agreement from October 2024 in line with the proposed award applying to teachers in NSW Department of Education schools. • Pay increases: no less than the increases applying to corresponding employees in NSW and ACT government schools and not less than the rate of inflation. • Release time: an additional two hours’ release from face-toface teaching time for primary and secondary teachers. We also seek extra release time for those in coordinator and leadership positions. • Improved parental leave, including: • superannuation to be paid on paid parental leave • more flexible timing for a partner to take paid parental leave
after the initial primary carer has returned to work or study – that is, leave can be taken within two years rather than 12 months from the date of birth • the more beneficial parental leave policy adopted by the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goullburn should be included in the enterprise agreement for that diocese. • Improved Long service leave and personal/carer’s leave for general employees • Workload reduction: priorities identified by members include out-of-hours work (both scheduled events and professional duties related to classroom teaching); catering for diverse student needs; data collection and compliance; meetings and PD; extras in secondary schools; and class sizes. Continued on page 3