In late December 2024 the union reached agreement with the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) on new multi-enterprise agreements (MEAs) to apply to teachers and professional and operational staff in NSW and the ACT. The MEAs will have a three-year term, expiring in January 2028.
Voting by employees to endorse the MEAs was held in about 240 schools in the last week of February. The Yes vote was carried across all employers. The AIS has now lodged the MEAs with the Fair Work Commission for approval.
Salary wins for existing teachers
These include:
- Teachers with four or more years’ experience at Proficient (five or more years in the ACT) will now go straight to Level 2.5 (Level 8 in the ACT), matching the rate that will apply to new teachers. This rate is $127,281 in NSW and $130,643 in the ACT.
- All existing teachers classified as Band 3 – Experienced Teacher or Senior Teacher 1 will receive the Accomplished Teacher allowance of $4979 in addition to their salary at Level 2.5 (Level 8 in the ACT). This gives a total salary of $132,260 in NSW and $135,622 in the ACT.
- Existing Band 3 teachers and Senior Teacher 1 teachers will be entitled to receive both the Accomplished Teacher allowance and a Leadership position allowance if they are in a leadership position when the new MEA commences.
Pay rises for teachers
Pay increases over the life of the MEA will vary for teachers, depending on the teacher’s current MEA and classification and their translocation to the new scale. For new teachers, the pay scale will increase by 4.5% in February 2026 and 4% in February 2027.
Special education allowance
Teachers at a registered special school who teach classes of children with a disability will continue receiving the special education allowance – the MEA will have a list of schools to which this applies.
NSW professional and operational staff
There is a new classification structure for the NSW Professional and Operational Staff (PAOS) MEA.
Pay increases will vary depending on the employee’s current role and classification level, but all staff will receive at least 4% in 2025, with some receiving more than 15%.
To see the detail of these transitional increases when the new MEA starts, refer to the February IEU NewsExtra on our website:ieu.asn.au/newsextra-ais-21-feb-2025
School assistants (now in two streams – that is, Classroom Support and Curriculum/Resources Services) will receive 5% annual increases in both 2026 and 2027. Other employees will receive increases of 4.5% in 2026 and 4% in 2027.
The new Classroom Support and Curriculum/Resources Services classifications also include annual salary increments that provide an additional small salary increase.
ACT professional and operational staff
The ACT PAOS MEA classification structure is largely unchanged. All staff will receive a pay rise of at least 3% in 2025, with preschools and childcare centre employees receiving higher increases. Pay rates will increase by 4.5% in 2026 and 4% in 2027.
Improved paid parental leave
The union has achieved improvements in paid parental leave that will apply to periods of leave commencing after the start of the new MEAs:
- The 14 weeks paid parental leave will count as service for the purposes of salary progression and leave accrual.
- Male employees who are the initial primary care-giver immediately after birth or adoption will now be entitled to 14 weeks paid parental leave.
- An employee who is not the initial primary care-giver will be entitled to two weeks of paid parental leave at the time of birth or adoption. If that person becomes the primary care-giver within 12 months of the birth or adoption, they will be entitled to an additional 12 weeks paid parental leave.
Implementation of new MEAs
As soon as the MEAs are approved by the Fair Work Commission, the IEU expects that schools will start paying the new rates.
The union was successful in achieving a guarantee that the improved pay rates would be back-paid to the first pay period commencing on or after 1 February 2025, but it may take employers a short while to process the new pay rates and classifications.
If you are concerned about a delay or consider that your new pay or classification is incorrect, do not hesitate to contact the union.
Schools will also need to comply with the new workload transparency requirements – that is, advise teachers of the usual face-to-face teaching hours per week or per cycle, general requirements in relation to extracurricular duties and the release provided for teachers in Leadership Level 1 and Level 2 positions.
Stronger together
We achieved these wins because of the tireless work of IEU reps and members – make sure you ask a colleague who has not yet joined the union to do so. Together we are stronger.