Rejected but now embraced

The Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (representing the 11 Catholic dioceses across NSW and the ACT) rejected the concept of a promotions position being developed to manage ‘new’ work emanating from BOSTES in relation to assisting teachers gain proficiency status, managing trainee teachers and those teachers who may by choice aspire to highly accomplished status. The provision of accredited PD within school time also demands significant input.

It is pertinent to note that a number of dioceses are now creating positions both unpaid and paid to professionally manage the standards model agreed to in 2015. The reality is employers now understand that rejecting the Union’s submission was ill advised.

The standards model is a two way street. That is employers have clear cut responsibilities (via the Teacher Accreditation Authority processes – read your employer) to support those new to the profession.

The newly developed Teacher Accreditation Authority manual provides a regulatory framework to ensure school based process are fair and reasonable.

TAAs must:
supply information/orientation within three months of commencement including timeframes/policies and maintenance of records
a description of the mentoring and support services available
TAAs must provide feedback, mentoring and support
early identification to teachers ‘at risk’
provisions for internal review of decisions
complaints process, and
maintain a Register of Records.

In order to more closely demonstrate support TAAs must record:
date(s) of teacher assessment
nature of the assessment
name of supervisor
nature of the assessment process
findings of the assessment, and
formal advice offered to teachers.

The incorporation of diocesan specific arrangements for the assistance provided to early career teachers and diocesan policies in relation to how TAA responsibilities are managed will constitute important elements of the various workload agreements to be reviewed by the IEU in due course.

The review will prioritise specific issues to be negotiated in the development of the IEU’s log of claims for the existing industrial agreement, which expires on 31 December 2016.

The IEU has a particular interest in ensuring that Catholic employers develop policies to ensure those teachers new to the profession are supported.

It's imperative the details are captured in enforceable industrial agreements.

Improved deal for Reddam ELS staff

The dispute between the Union and Reddam House has been resolved with two much improved enterprise agreements secured for early learning teachers and educators.

As outlined on the front page of the last issue of Newsmonth, the IEU lodged a dispute with the Fair Work Commission over the underpayment of wages to teachers and educators at Reddam Early Learning Service (ELS), the early childhood section of Reddam House, in Sydney’s eastern suburbs.

The early learning teachers were employed by a separate entity called Crawford Education Ltd and could be earning up to $31,527 less than the school teachers working across the schoolyard from them.

Reddam ELS teachers and educators voted on a new agreement in early March. Educators will now get the same pay as support staff in the school.

The teachers’ salaries, while still not matching those of the teachers in the school, will match those paid in the early childhood sector.

Without Union intervention, teachers and support staff at Reddam House ELS would have been stuck with modern award wages and conditions.

The successful outcome of the negotiations means they will now earn on average 30% more than the modern award rates originally offered by Crawford Education Ltd.

Mark Northam
Assistant Secretary