As 2023 draws to a close, the IEU has achieved improved pay and conditions for many members.
Catholic systemic schools enterprise agreement
After our long Hear Our Voice campaign, which included joint industrial action with the NSW Teachers Federation, the IEU has finally achieved a new enterprise agreement for more than 25,000 teachers and support staff employed in 600 NSW and ACT Catholic systemic schools.
The agreement will apply to employees in all dioceses except Broken Bay (who are covered by a separate agreement) and will be in place until October 2024.
Benefits include:
•Teacher salary increases in NSW of between 8% and 12% from October 2023
• Teacher salary increases in the ACT from August 2023 with members receiving increases of 11%-19% between 2023 and 2025
• General employee salary increases of at least 6.5% and up to 20% over 12 months
• Improved parental leave for both mothers and their partners.
Members in the ACT also received significantly improved paid parental leave from 14 weeks to 24 weeks for primary carers from January 2024. The enterprise agreement was overwhelmingly endorsed in a 90% yes vote of employees in mid-November and NSW dioceses generally paid the teacher pay increases in November, backdated to October. In the ACT pay rises were paid from August this year. All support staff should also have received the back pay by November.
While the IEU is proud of its achievements in these negotiations, we will continue to work with members, employers, and governments to address the workload issues which have contributed to the ongoing staff shortages across the profession. Focus areas will include streamlining compliance measures and reporting, simplifying teacher registration and reducing extra-curricular activities. Improved support for early career teachers and their mentors is also important.
Broken Bay Diocese
Both teachers and support staff received an 8% pay rise in Broken Bay from October 2023 as a result of the provision in the Broken Bay Enterprise Agreement committing the Diocese to match increases for teachers in other NSW dioceses for both teachers and support staff in Broken Bay. This meant that, in addition to pay rises effective from January, support staff received an 8% increase in October rather than the 4% increase in July received by support staff in other dioceses. Teachers and principals will remain on salaries 1.5% higher than those applying in other NSW dioceses.
Catholic independent schools
The union has been campaigning for pay rises for teachers and support staff in around 35 Catholic independent schools, divided into three groups known as Model A, Model B and Model C. IEU was reluctant to settle new enterprise agreements for teachers until the NSW
Government and Catholic systemic settlement for teachers was known and we were also seeking to match the increases achieved by support staff in Catholic systemic schools.
Our strategy proved correct
In November this year we finally received satisfactory offers from employers who flowed on the improvements achieved by members in Catholic systemic schools.
Although the settlement was slightly different for each group, in each case there is a substantial increase in teacher pay and the traditional premium in relation to government teacher pay rates has been maintained.
Support staff will also receive significant annual increases, with many classifications receiving extra top-up back pay to reflect the increases in support staff rates in Catholic systemic schools.
The IEU understands most, if not all, Catholic independent schools have already paid these agreed increases to staff. We expect schools will ask staff to vote on the new enterprise agreements early in Term 1.
Christian schools
The IEU reached agreement with a group of about 20 NSW Christian schools represented by the Association of Independent Schools to flow on the NSW Department/Catholic systemic teacher pay rates from February 2024.
Staff endorsed the new multi-enterprise agreements for teachers and support staff in mid-November. Teachers will receive increases of 8-12% from February. Negotiations are continuing with Christian schools represented by Christian Schools Australia.