Meet the team of three working to get long day care teachers and educators onto new agreements so they can receive a 15% pay rise.
Julian Thomas, Emily Cokely and Alice Whittlesea (pictured) form the early childhood education and care Worker Retention Payment team (ECEC WRP).
This government-funded project followed the IEU working with the United Workers Union, Australian Education Union and the federal Labor government to improve pay for teachers and educators in the sector. It’s a strong union win.
Emily and Julian are focused on visiting services and talking to both staff and employers about the funding and how the employer can apply.
Historic agreement
“We’re working to help services and, most importantly, employees, access the worker retention payments that are available,” Emily said. “The funding is available – it’s a 15% increase over the next two years.”
Julian commented on the process: “Sometimes it takes a bit of persistence. What works well is when you can take a more traditional union approach, where you get on to someone who is a workplace leader, who is talking to their colleagues about it and agitating.”
Alice offers industrial support, helping employers with the nuts and bolts of the application process, including the technical aspects of signing on to a “compliant industrial instrument”, preferably the historic new multi-enterprise agreement agreed by unions and the government.
“I hope to get as many employees and employers onto the multi-enterprise agreement as possible,” Alice said. “That’s the easiest and most efficient way for them to access the payment.”
Much-needed change
The Worker Retention Payment, which aims to help services retain good staff, is the start of much-needed change in the sector.
Emily said employers should take advantage of the funding “to pay your staff in line with what is now becoming the industry standard”.
However, Julian said some services are inclined to put the funding application in the too-hard basket: “I’m encountering services who are lost in a quagmire of information.”
The team’s mission is to help employees press for the funding and for employers to manage the application process.
Here to help
The trio are all passionate about their work.
Emily, who previously worked in the childcare sector, said: “Unless you’ve worked in childcare or in teaching, it can be hard to understand the intensity of the day-to-day work and what a day in the life looks like.”
“I’m making sure employees know their rights in the workplace and are getting paid accurately for their work,” Alice said.
There is still time for your service to apply. Call the IEU, meet with your colleagues, find out more, apply pressure. Get the pay rise you deserve. For more information, scan the QR code at right.