New staff bolster IEU ranks

Jennifer Tait

Organiser Jen Tait plans to use her experience of school visitation and advocacy to good advantage in her new role.

Jen’s career to date has focused on supporting students who are blind or have low vision. A strong interest in Special Education led Jen to her first position at the Royal Blind Society as an Access Technology Teacher, and then to NextSense (formerly the Royal Institute for Deaf and Blind Children) at North Rocks.

After four years she moved to London to teach general Special Education. But returning to Sydney, she was keen to work with students who are blind or have low vision again.

“I had to leave vision to realise that is what I wanted to concentrate on,” Jen said.

She returned to NextSense for 18 years, working as a Specialist Teacher (VI), supporting a variety of mainstream independent schools who have blind or low vision students enrolled.

She was also the IEU Rep representing the vision team at the school and was involved in negotiations for a new enterprise agreement covering the itinerant teachers in the Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Low Vision teams at NextSense, which is part of the Association of Independent Schools (AIS).

“When I was visiting teachers, I saw the pressure they are under, and the admin burden placed on them, and I felt the need to do more to support my colleagues in the teaching profession.” she said.

On moving to the IEU, Jen said, “I was ready for a change. My previous role involved teaching students directly as well as supporting teachers and school staff.

“I wanted to transfer my advocacy skills from the disability space to the education space. Things have been challenging in schools for many years now and change is long overdue. It is an exciting time to be a part of the IEU helping to create that change.”

Michael Aird

Michael joins the IEU as an industrial officer. A part of the union movement since 1995, he has a wealth of experience in a variety of backgrounds.

Most recently he has been with the CFMEU in the manufacturing division, which could encompass anything from timber to textile workers.

In particular, he enjoyed supporting textile workers from western Sydney, mostly women with English as a second language.

“This group tends to be not well paid or well treated. It was a tough organising environment, where they really needed a union.” Michael said.

Changing the laws to help this group, and seeing the employment of young Chinese and Vietnamese speakers as union organisers, was a satisfying experience, he said.

“I would love to see Vietnamese women taking a leading role at the CFMMEU in the future.”

An admitted solicitor, Michael practised industrial law with Maurice Blackburn some years ago and helped the IEU with a few cases at that time. With his parents both high school teachers, and his wife a union educator and IEU member, he has associations with the teaching profession.

“It’s a profession I admire, and I look forward to being involved with some of the big campaigns like the fight for fair pay for ECEC teachers.

“But also working with individual members who may have been unfairly dismissed or in another dispute and getting a fair outcome for them – I find that extremely satisfying.”

Brigitte Garozzo

Education has been the gateway to numerous opportunities for the IEU’s new communications coordinator, and she is passionate about doing work that supports educators of all persuasions.

She comes to the IEU with a wealth of relevant experience, having worked as a campaigner and graphic designer with the Greens and an organiser at the National Teritary Education Union (NTEU).

She also worked on postgraduate program management at the University of Glasgow, and most recently at the NSW Department of Education’s School Leadership Institute as a project manager, where she was acutely aware of workload issues facing teachers and school leaders.

The first in her family to attend university, her lived experience shows that quality teaching can change people’s lives.

“As a working-class kid, education influenced me in so many ways, and as a queer woman, it has also been a place of hope and liberation. As Paulo Friere said ‘Education is freedom’,” she said.

Her goals at the IEU include facilitating effective communications and ensuring the smooth running of operations within the communications team and the wider union.

“The more effective we are as an organisation, the better we can deliver for members, the happier they are at work, and ultimately, the better the education they provide will be,” Brigitte said.

A union member since her part-time job in high school, Brigitte is a strong believer in the union movement in all sectors.

“Unionism is central to my life and my praxis – without unions and collective struggle, we have no strength in the fight for a better world”.

Christina Ellul

Christina comes to the union armed with almost 30 years’ experience as a teacher and coordinator in the Catholic sector.

She has spent most of her previous career at Good Shepherd Primary School in Plumpton in western Sydney.

“I’ve been teaching and leading and loving it. I loved working with my colleagues, and I loved the students and the culture,” Christina said.

“I’m passionate about supporting my students but also colleagues.”

An IEU Rep with 20 years’ experience, Christina is familiar with the kinds of issues she will be encountering as an organiser.

Christina will have a joint role at the IEU, acting as an organiser visiting schools, but also as a professional engagement officer.

“I love being challenged and working collaboratively with people. I like presenting and helping people. I enjoy the team spirit within the union. It’s all about coming together to be stronger and make things happen.

“You can’t fight on your own. I saw that as a Chapter Rep. When our Chapter stood together as a team, we achieved more change for the better.”

With qualifications in counselling and meditation, Christina has a variety of skills at hand.

I will be proud to be part of a team that fights for change.”