Year in review

Election of the NSW government

The election of the Labor government in NSW in March 2023 has been beneficial for IEU members.

The pay rises promised by the new Labor government for teachers in government schools were finally delivered in October 2023.

There is a new focus on work health and safety, with the government consulting with unions. Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis has met with IEU representatives and is committed to improving outcomes for workers.

Education Minister Prue Car and senior representatives from the Department of Education have met with the IEU to discuss the provision of government funding to support increased pay rates for teachers and educators in preschools because of our supported bargaining application.

The NSW government has also committed to addressing teacher workload and teacher recruitment and retention.

Pay and conditions for teachers

The NSW government provided pay rises for teachers in NSW government schools of between 8% and 12% from October 2023, and these increases were matched by Catholic systemic schools.

In the ACT, a new enterprise agreement, made in August 2023, provided an uplift in teacher salaries in ACT government schools over the period from 2023 to March 2026, with a new graduate earning over $100,000 by the end of the agreement. The Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn paid increases of the same value, but with a different configuration of increases.

Teachers in Catholic independent schools received large pay rises because of the increases in the public and Catholic systemic dectors.

The union has had some success in flowing on these increases to teachers in Christian schools and has finalised a new enterprise agreement applying to teachers in Christian schools represented by the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) in early 2024.

However, although there have been pay rises in 2024, bargaining has not proceeded smoothly with schools in NSW and the ACT represented by Christian Schools Australia.

Workloads and teacher shortages

The union is prioritising workload claims in negotiations with employers.

We achieved workload improvements in Work Practices Agreements negotiated with Catholic dioceses in late 2023. However, ongoing teacher shortages are frustrating some entitlements – in particular, release time and caps on class sizes. The union has also assisted members to address workload concerns in individual chapters.

We are campaigning for school-based standards in independent schools (see pp 1, 6).

Pay and conditions for support staff

Support staff in Catholic systemic schools received increases in 2023, with many classifications gaining wage adjustments from the start of 2023 to match earlier public sector pay equity increases, as well as other general increases. There were delays in some members receiving back pay and union staff were kept busy checking payments.

The IEU successfully negotiated to match these rates in Catholic independent schools in late 2023 and is currently seeking similar increases for support staff in independent schools.

Early childhood education and care

Our members in early childhood education and care (ECEC) have had a year of successes.

We lodged an application for supported bargaining for teachers and educators in long day care in June 2023. The terms of the new multi-enterprise agreement – on the verge of being made as Newsmonth goes to press – have been the subject of intense negotiations over the past 12 months. The federal government’s announcement of funding (referred to above) in August has been critical to the outcome.

At the same time, negotiations are proceeding for the NSW community preschools supported bargaining agreement, as well as enterprise agreements for single employers. Our group of ECEC ‘ambassador’ members have been instrumental in delivering the union message both to their colleagues and the community.

Our ECEC organising team has also been engaged in numerous consultations with state and federal agencies to address teacher workloads, teacher attrition and issues relating to teacher accreditation.

Professional engagement

Deputy Secretary David Towson has filled the vacancy on the NESA board created by the resignation of Veronica Yewdall (now Assistant Federal Secretary). Veronica has done an outstanding job on the board representing our branch. She has provided ongoing support to the branch on professional issues in her federal role.

Professional Engagement Coordinator Pat Devery continues his role at NESA Committee level, and is a driving force in engaging with NESA.

The union is also delighted with the recent changes to requirements for accredited and elective professional development (see p 12) and will review the demand for our own PD offering to members considering these changes.

As in previous years, Professional Officer Liz Finlay has supported members in nearly 40 independent schools seeking accreditation as experienced teachers through the Independent Schools Teacher Accreditation Authority.

And Pat Devery has also led the delivery of union training, a program which has expanded with the new delegates’ right provisions.

Media and communications

Media coverage on radio and TV and in print, media releases, press conferences, social media, digital communications, resources for organisers and traditional print publications are all part of the IEU’s story this year.

Our new website, launched in December 2023, is much easier to navigate. The IEU’s communications team is developing strategies to expand traffic to the website – nearly half a million page views by 100,000 users in 12 months is a great result. Another ongoing focus is developing and evaluating the most effective ways to communicate with our members.

Social justice issues

Wages and conditions will always be the union’s core business, but members also expect us to be active and informed on a range of social justice issues. The union’s Women and Equity Committee, the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Committee, the Environment Committee and our other social justice all contribute towards these activities.

The union is committed to ensuring all of our forums are accessible and relevant to members. We thank members who give up their time to support these campaigns and activities.

Regional offices

Our regional offices in Lismore, Newcastle and Canberra are thriving hubs of activity for our members.

Our staff in Lismore have only been back in the office since Term 2, following the devastating floods in Lismore in February 2022, which severely damaged our first-floor office and much of the Lismore town centre and surrounds.

Dealing with the initial loss and heartbreak, then the tedium and practical problems of working remotely, as well as the need to oversee the repair and refurbishment of the office, has been very trying. We thank our Lismore staff and members in the region for their commitment and resilience during this difficult period.

Our Canberra staff deal with a plethora of issues, given they are responsible for representing the union on ACT government agencies as well as other organisations such as Unions ACT. They also organise members in three sub branches across NSW and the ACT.

Long-standing organiser Berna Simpson retired at the end of 2023 and her wisdom and commitment in representing members is sorely missed, but she has been ably replaced by Angela McDonald, formerly Vice President ACT on the IEU Executive. We also thank office manager Susanne Radnidge, who left the union in June, for her hard work on behalf of members.

As always, our Newcastle office is deeply involved in the local community of non-government schools and early childhood centres, leveraging these connections to achieve outstanding membership density and a high level of activism among members.

Sub branch officers and members actively participate in Hunter Workers, the local trade union organisation, to build connections with the broader union movement. The office has represented members in a range of disputes including, most notably, strike action on behalf of members employed in the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Schools Office. This was a complex dispute, with the organiser untiring in trying to achieve the best outcome for members.

IEU operations

The union needs to evolve continually and improve the effectiveness of our operations. The IEU now offers automatic deduction of union fees from members’ bank accounts, timed to coincide with pay cycles. If you would like to take up this option, please call us on 8202 8900 and ask for the membership team.

70 years strong

In this, our 70th year since the Assistant Masters’ Association was established, I would like to thank all IEU staff for their commitment and work on behalf of members. The achievements of the past year would not be possible without our great team. This includes our 22-member Executive and more than 70 staff.

Most importantly, thank you to all our dedicated reps and members for their support.