Organiser
Welcome back to another year of Present Tense, your window into the international student college industry.
- Your Union has concluded negotiations with several colleges over the summer, with some great outcomes for members. At Embassy English, the college agreed to terms just before Christmas. Teachers on all step levels will receive significant salary increases of between 5% and 8% once the agreement is approved (the College wanted to standardise the differences between step levels), with further 2% increases in both 2015 and 2016. In addition, there will be a new allowance for EAP teachers, and broader definitions in the classifications scale. This agreement was unanimously approved by teachers in January, and has been lodged with the Fair Work Commission.
- In January, your Union agreed terms with SELC (who have colleges in both Bondi Junction and the city), with salary increases of 2%, 2.5% and 2.5%, with additional increases totaling 2% for casual teachers (who are the bulk of teachers there). At Australian Pacific College, salary increases of 1.5% per annum were agreed, with additional increases totaling 2% for casuals (again, the bulk of the teaching staff). These increases will ensure that these colleges remain among the higher paying English colleges in Australia.
- Another school where negotiations were satisfactorily concluded was at Taylor’s College in Waterloo. Taylor’s operates a high school program as well as the Foundation Studies program for Sydney University, primarily for the international student market. Your Union was able to achieve salary increases of 3%, 3.5% and 3.5%, an excellent result in an environment where 2.5% per annum has become the accepted benchmark.
- The IEU is continuing to negotiate at UNSW Foundation Studies, and at Navitas English Services, and we are hopeful that settlements will soon be reached at these centres too, maintaining salaries and conditions at levels far above those of the award. If you would like to know how this might work in your college, contact the IEU.
- On 1 January, 2014, new legislation came into force regarding bullying and harassment. From now on, such matters can be heard at the Fair Work Commission, who will have the power to make rulings on such matters. The FWC will need to deal with an application within 14 days of lodgement, and the Commission will be able to make whatever orders it considers necessary to stop the bullying. Any breach of these orders can see penalties imposed of up to $10,200 for individuals and $51,000 for organisations. These new provisions apply across the workplace, including employees, employers, contractors and labour hire personnel, and even customers may be liable. The Act also contains definitions of bullying, so that any repeated unreasonable behaviour that creates a risk to health and safety will come under its ambit.
- It remains to be seen just how effective these news laws will be (and no doubt the apocalyptic scenarios painted by employer groups will prove to be far off the mark), but nevertheless they do provide a framework for dealing with this widespread issue.
If there are any issues that you would like to see discussed in this column, please don’t hesitate to contact your Union via kendall@ieu.asn.au.