Members in Catholic systemic schools around NSW and the ACT have been meeting to endorse the IEU’s claim for a new Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement (the EA) for 2020.
The IEU Council meeting on 17 August also unanimously endorsed the claim. The Union has conveyed this to the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER) and diocesan directors.
Pay claim
For support staff and teachers in NSW the claim is 2.5% per annum from each January for the life of the new EA.
For teachers in ACT, pay rises should be not less than the increases received by public sector colleagues – that is, 3% from July in 2019, 2020 and 2021 and 1.5% from July 2022.
Conditions claim for teachers
Key elements of the claim include the following (see the July NewsExtra for full details):
Reduction in face to face teaching
The Union is seeking a reduction of face to face teaching of 30 minutes each week to assist in achieving a manageable workload.
Temporary teachers
Temporary teachers should convert to permanent status after three years of continuous employment with the one diocese, with a right to appointment to the diocese.
Casual teachers
Dioceses should improve working conditions for casual teachers and assist them to meet their professional obligations. Relief could also be provided by appointing ongoing or temporary teachers to a school or cluster of schools instead of casual teachers. Professional fees
Employers should reimburse employees for compulsory fees, such as teacher accreditation/registration, RE training and the Working with Children Check.
Teacher classificationsCalculation of teaching service for pay progression should include up to 12 months of unpaid parental leave (as occurs in NSW government schools) and all teaching undertaken as an early childhood teacher.
Promotions
The IEU wants to clarify the calculation of hours of instruction for secondary coordinators and ensure primary Coordinators and assistant principals receive their full entitlement to release. Assistant principals in primary schools should be paid the same as assistant principals in secondary schools.
Conditions claim for support staff
Permanency EA provisions permitting temporary appointments for support staff need to be tighter.
Long service leave equity
The Union is seeking that the support staff long service leave entitlement be increased to match that of teachers, that is, increased from 1.3 weeks per year after 10 years of service to two weeks per year after 10 years of service.
Aboriginal educators
Rates of pay and classifications applicable to Aboriginal Education Workers should be reviewed, commensurate with their responsibilities.
Leave claims for all employees
Additional claims relating to leave include:
- payment of superannuation for the 12-month period of parental leave
- improved paid parental arrangements for temporary employees
- emergency disaster leave of up to five days paid leave per year for employees unable to attend work because of natural disasters, and
- cultural and ceremonial leave for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employees for religious, cultural or ceremonial purposes.
Coverage of the EA
IEU is seeking that all employees in schools who are not currently covered by the EA should be included. Teachers and support staff in early childhood services and out of school hours services attached to schools should also be included.
Diocesan specific issues
The Union will also be meeting with dioceses to discuss specific policy and implementation issues relating to Work Practice Agreements.
Work intensification issues are also key to the wellbeing of teachers. The Union is calling for specific measures to address work overload resulting from unnecessary data collection, lack of support for diverse learners, too many out of class duties and excessive requirements in relation to programming on top of all the other requirements. This is a major priority for the Union.
