Victoria
Careers at risk
The careers and mental health of far too many IEU members are being devastated by unfair allegations made under Victoria’s Reportable Conduct Scheme (RCS). Given the dangers the scheme presents to Victorian members, the union will continue to push for urgent reforms, and inform staff about how to protect themselves.
The IEU wholeheartedly supports robust child safety measures – but unfortunately the scheme in practice all too often punishes staff without good reason. The extended, humiliating, reputation-ruining processes that follow unfounded allegations leave far too many employees unable to return to work.
Trivial or vexatious allegations against education staff abound.
Staff have been cited for restraining a child to stop them running across a road, for accidentally stumbling against a student, for using a raised voice in a noisy classroom, and for not picking a particular student for a school production. There have also been vexatious reports against education staff made by aggrieved ex-partners.
The union outlined its concerns in a detailed submission to a review of the scheme in late 2022, but the report is now more than seven months late. The rights of educators must be recognised in a revamp of this well-intentioned but faulty scheme.
Tasmania
Campaign goes next level
Overworked, frustrated Catholic educators are upping the ante in their campaign for a reasonable deal, two years since the expiry of their last IEU-negotiated enterprise agreement.
In the first year the IEU had to take employers to the Fair Work Commission to force them to meet with us. The second year started more productively, but it was seriously derailed when the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office made new claims 18 months after bargaining started, including attempts to extend the school year and give employers the power to forcibly relocate staff between schools.
Dealing with these ridiculous new additions delayed discussion of the union’s progressive claims.
Late last year, the union held urgent meetings with reps from around the state, who decided to escalate the campaign unless there was rapid progress at the bargaining table. Sessions in both cities received enthusiastic support from members fed up with the interminable delays in getting their conditions updated to match colleagues in other sectors, with measures aimed to alleviate workload issues at the forefront.
We commence 2024 determined to get a good deal for members in Tasmanian Catholic education finalised, and a new level of campaigning will be unveiled across the state to make this happen.
Australian Capital Territory
Abusive student behaviour must be addressed
When teachers are faced with provocative behaviours from students, the rules of acceptable practice require them to respond in a calm manner to defuse the situation.
But some students can verbally abuse or even physically assault teachers. Teachers need to be restrained in their response.
Should a teacher call for assistance from a member of the school executive, there will be a delay in response.
Following such an incident, a teacher could be stood down pending investigation. If it is alleged and sustained that unnecessary force was used, the teacher could be terminated and the matter reported to the teacher registration authority.
This student may have a long history of such behaviour and some schools fail to implement effective strategies to support either the student or the teachers.
The IEU is mindful of protecting the welfare, reputation and careers of members. If you find yourself in this situation, contact your union organiser.
In December 2020, the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) developed the National Strategy to Address the Abuse of Teachers, School Leaders and Other School Staff (https://bit.ly/3uDeiiw). The AITSL survey found that 55.6% of teachers had experienced unacceptable behaviour from students. The strategy encompassed five actions with the evaluation due next year.
Together, the profession, jurisdictions, unions and national agencies must work to reduce the abuse school staff are facing and provide support for staff when incidents occur.
Queensland
Recognition of First Nations Peoples
Our union’s campaign to Close the Industrial Gap has reached an important milestone, with the recent release of the first iteration of the First Nations Education Workers Project’s Industrial Guidelines (the guidelines).
IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the guidelines were an essential first step to providing long-overdue professional recognition of employees delivering First Nations Language and Culture programs in schools.
“First Nations Peoples undertaking this vital work must be recognised through professional pay rates, employment conditions and career pathways,” Burke said.
“Years of hard work and research from a variety of stakeholders has occurred behind the scenes to create these guidelines, so I congratulate and thank everyone involved for their contribution,” he said.
“I would like to acknowledge the enormous contribution of the IEU-QNT Yubbah Action Group, the committee who oversee our branch’s Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), for spearheading the campaign.”
“As part of the Closing the Industrial Gap campaign, our union will continue advocating to teacher registration authorities about the urgent need to ensure viable career pathways for First Nations Education Workers,” Burke said.
Members can access the guidelines online:www.ieuqnt.org.au/reconciliation
South Australia
Building a strong negotiating position
The new year brings a renewed focus on the upcoming Catholic Enterprise Agreement (EA) negotiations.
Comprehensive reps (delegates) packs have been sent to all IEU (SA) Catholic reps for Week Zero that included campaign flyers, meeting agendas, join forms and information sheets.
By getting on the front foot early in the school year, we are looking to increase the activity of our reps and increase membership in Catholic schools, giving us a stronger position when we enter negotiations.
In the early childhood sector, IEU(SA) supports most of the Royal Commission into Early Childhood Education and Care’s recommendations, but we are disappointed the South Australian government wants to create a three-year teacher qualification for early childhood teachers. We argue this three-year qualification has the potential to further undermine the community standing of the Early Childhood teaching profession in schools. Any teaching degree should have the same rigour and standing as other teaching degrees and should be a university-level qualification.
Northern Territory
A voice and an ear for the profession
IEU-QNT Branch Executive member and teacher Erica Schultz is our union’s new representative on the Northern Territory Teacher Registration Board (TRB) after stepping into the role in October 2023.
Erica said IEU representation on the NT TRB remains vital to ensuring teachers’ voices are heard regarding the professional concerns they face.
“Representation is important for our union to hear about issues that are affecting members, so I can listen attentively and report back on those issues,” Erica said.
“Since becoming a representative, the key priorities for the TRB include matters concerning teachers with allegations of misconduct, as well as the procedure of registration renewal for new teachers from other jurisdictions and ongoing teachers who are re-registering,” she said.
In 2024, the NT TRB will continue to focus on matters regarding the registration of teachers in early childhood education settings.
We thank Erica for her ongoing contribution and will provide NT TRB updates to members throughout 2024.
New South Wales
Time for action in independent schools
Last year NSW saw unprecedented pay increases for teachers and support staff in government and Catholic schools that included:
- teacher salary increases in NSW of between 8% and 12% from October 2023
- teacher salary increases in the ACT from August 2023 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.
Now it’s time for independent schools to step up. Despite a few well-publicised schools paying above government school pay rates, many still pay well below these rates.
Conditions in some independent schools are also lagging well behind those in NSW government schools and Catholic schools.
The IEU is consulting with our members in independent schools to discuss priorities for our claim.
The key to a successful outcome is a high level of union membership in every school.
Unions also have new rights under the Fair Work Act that strengthen the IEU’s ability to bargain effectively for multi-enterprise agreements.
A priority will be ensuring our IEU reps understand how we can wield these new rights effectively.