Latest news

Your IEU team are very busy with Enterprise Agreement (EA) Bargaining in no less than 14 schools, the Lutheran School Sector and preparing for the Catholic EA Bargaining in 2024.

Members should take a few minutes to read through this update as it may affect your school or it may give you ideas about what you want to bargain for in your next school EA.

Bethany Christian School

Member engagement for a Log of Claims is beginning.

Kings Baptist Grammar School

Negotiations are progressing slowly this term as management have cancelled consecutive meetings. Work on the Non Teacher/General Staff Classification schedule has been drawn out and is still not finalised. At issue is a schedule which incorporates components of different EAs that are unaligned. The next bargaining meeting will begin looking at claims related to teacher workload.

Lutheran Schools

Discussion has been respectful and constructive with a clause by clause read through and the focus on reviewing each through the lens of Interest Based Bargaining (IBB).

IBB operates on a collaborative approach to negotiations whereby the parties identify and communicate their key needs, maximise common interests and reconcile conflicting ones. Every effort will be made to identify common ground and negotiate in good faith, seeking resolutions with the understanding they lead to mutual benefit.

Throughout the negotiations the parties will be mindful of the following:

• How can we ensure teaching and LSO roles remain sustainable and vibrant long-term professions for all staff in Lutheran learning communities?
• How can we maintain and further effective and genuine consultation?
• How can we improve staff health, wellbeing and morale?
• How can we best recognise the value of the profession via conditions and salary?
• How can we enhance industrial fairness at work?

3% Salary Increase for Staff
It has been agreed that a 3% salary increase was enacted as of the first full pay period in August 2023. This has been agreed as an interim measure as it is likely the agreement will be finalised beyond the traditional salary increases month of October, and in recognition of increasing cost of living pressures. Principals, Directors and Business Managers received notification of the increase on 3 July.

Mt Barker Waldorf School

Member engagement for a Log of Claims is beginning.

Pembroke School

Negotiations have begun and members’ Log of Claims are being developed. Pembroke is one of the few remaining schools that doesn’t have the clause ‘Any Industrial Matter’ included in their EA. This is especially important to have if, for example, policies are not being followed. It has a particular significance at Pembroke as they have a ‘workload and other conditions document’ that sits outside the EA.

Pinnacle College

Member engagement is occurring for a Log of Claims. The main issue identified is that the current EA only covers teachers. Tthe IEU wrote to the College on behalf of members, putting to them that support staff should be included as during the last two negotiations, the employer indicated that they would be included this time.

They have reneged on that commitment. The IEU finds this a disappointing response in what is now an established school. Having a two-tiered employment structure is not justifiable. Watch this space as we work towards a Bargaining Order from the Commission, which would force them to negotiate.

Scotch College

Members have endorsed a Log of Claims that includes a 6%, 4% and 4% salary increase. We have received an initial employer response which includes positive aspects such as paying TRT’s from Day 1 at their incremental step. Also included is a re-structure of teacher classifications meaning that teachers would enter Scotch two levels below where they would currently enter at other schools. This would mean that you could have two teachers doing the same job with the same experience, just in different places on different salaries. Scotch have not responded to the salary claim and it is not their intention to do so until the other matters are resolved.

Southern Montessori Education Centre

Member engagement for a Log of Claims is beginning.

Southern Vales Christian College

SVCC has a so called ‘Zombie Agreement’ dating back to 2005. This and other zombie agreements will be extinguished as of 7 December 2023.

Unfortunately, rather than negotiate a new agreement, the College’s response has been to drop staff back to the Awards (a very minimum set of conditions) and have them sign individual contracts which add some conditions. Concerningly, there is a clause in those contracts that effectively states that any conditions can be retrospectively removed. We have written formally to SVCC requesting negotiations to begin and will be working with members there to achieve that aim.

St Andrew’s School

Negotiations were smooth and their new EA has been approved. It includes a salary increases of 4% for 2023, 3.5% for 2024 and 3.25% in 2025.

St John’s Grammar School

Three issues remain unresolved at negotiations: Salary, Long Service Leave and Teacher Workload.

Members endorsed the IEU refereeing these matters to the Fair Work Commission (the ‘independent umpire’) as a bargaining dispute. Last week both parties met with Commissioner Platt in an attempt to mediate an outcome. Pleasingly for members, the employer has indicated that they are willing to:

1. allow Long Service Leave to be taken by staff in smaller blocks than one term (subject to operational needs) and this will not be unreasonably denied.
2. review the current salary offer and increase it beyond the current offer of 3% + 3% + 3%

Trinity College

A Log of Claims has been developed and negotiations will begin in early Term 4.

Tyndale Christian Schools

Negotiations are almost complete, with three EAs for the Salisbury, Murray Bridge and Strathalbyn schools mirroring one another, meaning staff at Murray Bridge and Strathalbyn campus’ will be on the same pay structure as the Salisbury campus.

Walford Anglican School for Girls

These negotiations have been ongoing since 2022 and there have been 2 No Votes. Subsequently, the employer put a completely re-written draft on the table which contained a number of reductions in entitlement. Through good negotiation and reasonable positions from the employer we have bargained in good faith and would appear to be close to ‘in principal agreement’. The main sticking point is backdated pay of 3%, which members quite rightly are strongly advocating for as they only received a 1% increase in 2022.

Westminster School

Negotiations have commenced. The IEU members have tabled a Log of Claims and significant membership growth has occurred on the back of general/non teacher staff being significantly underpaid relative to their peers in other schools in the non-government schools sector.

It is in the interests of all IEU members to be pro-active and talk with potential members at your school to increase your collective voice which enhances your ability to negotiate for better working conditions and entitlements. Our online join form is here – https://ieusa.org.au/join-the-ieusa or scan the QR Code below.

Contact our office if you have any questions – 8410 0122 or enquiries@ieusa.org.au