In October, IEU organiser Tina Smith spoke to third-year early childhood education students at the University of Sydney about their workplace rights and the benefits of joining the union.
Many of the students are already working in early childhood centres. In the interactive session, Tina ran through real-world scenarios students might face in the workplace and she explained industrial issues, including the differences in rights and conditions for teachers working in long day care versus preschool, casual conversion to permanency, the modern award and supported bargaining.
Tina’s visit is part of a broader effort at the IEU to build relationships with different universities and recruit students to the union. Following Tina’s presentation, the class discussed their takeaways and approached her with questions.
IEU membership is free for students and after hearing Tina speak, almost the whole class signed up. Seeing the large pile of signed membership forms, Tina told the students: “That’s a collective group of people who want better outcomes!”
We warmly welcome our new members to the IEU.