Independent schools Professional and operational staff: Bargaining not over yet

IEU representatives met with the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) on Friday 1 November to discuss the draft multi-enterprise agreements (MEAs) for professional and operational staff in independent schools.

There are two MEAs – one for NSW and one for the ACT. The rates in the draft MEA for the ACT are higher and the AIS has confirmed that the ACT offer would be increased to 4.5% in 2026 and 4% in 2027, in line with a revised offer made by ACT independent schools for teachers last week.

The IEU had previously raised a number of drafting problems. A key problem was the step that employees would be transferred to under the new classification structure.

The IEU has also sought clarity on exactly who will be covered under the MEA and where they fit. The AIS has advised that sports coaches and music tutors will be included, as will professional staff such as HR managers and media advisers, etc.

The union has sought an explanation as to how “outdoor education” staff will be classified. Staff being included in the MEA for the first time need to receive appropriate pay rates and should be aware that the new MEAs will apply to them.

The AIS has addressed some of the drafting problems, and discussions are continuing.

Pay rates

The union is still concerned about the comparison between particular classifications and the rates of pay in other school sectors. We have provided the AIS with comprehensive comparisons of the proposed MEA rates with rates applying in Catholic independent schools, Catholic systemic schools and NSW government schools.

In some cases, the proposed AIS rates are well below the comparable rates in other sectors. The table below uses full-time annual salaries for some sample positions: see table below.

The union will scrutinise all proposed pay rates in the MEAs to identify the rates that are too low.

We will not support an MEA that does not contain fair and reasonable pay rates for professional and operational staff.