Get the answers on IEU's Facebook Live

The Union’s Facebook Live events have allowed teachers and support staff to directly ask IEU Secretary John Quessy questions about the latest Catholic systemic schools dispute.

The first video Facebook Live Q&A event in July clocked up 3661 views, the one in mid August has 6000!

In the latest event Quessy answered lots of members’ questions about the dispute with CCER over the new enterprise agreement for Catholic systemic schools, especially in relation to arbitration.

With interviewer Megan Bruce, Quessy addressed the concerns of members who had received misinformation from their employers.

One member had been told that arbitration could result in individual legal costs of thousands of dollars, another that the EA had already been finalised. Quessy refuted both these claims, explaining that “arbitration is essentially free” and “there’s absolutely nothing that has union endorsement that is ready to go to a vote.”

He said that, among the employers, there was an attitude of “if we don’t know the answer, we’ll just make one up”.

Quessy also outlined some of the main reasons why an effective arbitration clause was necessary.

“Arbitration is not a place where you go to first: there’s mediation, there’s conciliation, then if all those things fail, there’s arbitration. But if there is no umpire at the end of it, there’s no incentive, no requirement for people to take the conciliation seriously, you can simply keep talking in circles forever.

“It would appear that CCER just don’t want to be accountable to anyone.”

Catch up on the latest IEU Q&A event on our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/ieunswact/videos/1440487295989167/