At Carinya Christian School, which has campuses in Tamworth and Gunnedah, staff were paid an interim increase of 2.5% in 2021.
At the time, the IEU members moved a motion of appreciation for their employer, noting that other independent schools offered their staff increases of less than 2.5% in 2021, while some, such as New England Girls School in Armidale, offered nothing at all.
Carinya Christian School (the employer), through its bargaining agent (the Association of Independent Schools (AIS)), has since proposed increases of 2.0% for 2022; 2.0% in 2023; and 1.6% in 2024. The inflation rate today stands at 5.1%.
The IEU has attempted to negotiate better terms. In response, the employer withdrew its paltry 1.6% offer for 2024 and is now proposing a three-year enterprise agreement instead.
This is still an unsatisfactory proposal to the union and its members at Carinya.
The IEU requested 2.5% for 2022 and 2.5% in 2023 to bring Carinya’s pay rates closer to the rates that cover more than 110 independent schools that are on the Standard Multi-Enterprise Agreement negotiated by the IEU and the AIS.
The AIS had advised the IEU that the employer had rebuffed this modest request. The employer has advised teachers that the agreement will be put to the vote on 7-9 June.