Latest news

Enterprise Agreement (EA) updates were very popular articles in the 2024 Class Action series.

They enable all IEU(SA) members to review what other workplaces/sectors are negotiating or winning for themselves, which is important, as it gives members ideas on what they can bargain for in their next EA.

Here is an overview of the EA bargaining around the sectors. The Catholic EA update is a separate article as it covers all Catholic schools.

Temple Christian College: Agreement Approved

The Temple Christian College EA has been approved.

The Strategic Goals

Improve Pay and conditions

The agreed salary increases are:

• 3.0% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 November 2024
  (Step 10 = $$119,647, Grade 2.3 $72974)
• 3.0% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 November 2025
  (Step 10 = $123,236 Grade 2.3 $74620)
• ? % – from the first full pay period on or after 1 November 2026
  (Increase is linked to the pay increase for DfE.)

Pay increases are linked to the Department for Education (DfE). Pay and superannuation will be made fortnightly. Camp allowance has been increased to $200 per night on weekdays and $250 for weekends.

Enhance professional voice

• A delegate’s rights clause has been included in the EA.
• The IEU’s claim for a definition of consultation was agreed. The school Consultative Committee will now have a union representative.

Improve Work Life Balance

• The employer has agreed to include ‘right to disconnect’ provisions in the EA.
• Breastfeeding and lactation breaks, Paid Reproductive Leave, Disability Leave and Foster Carers Leave were not agreed by the employer.
• Parental Leave has been increased to 14 weeks, but it is only available to the birth mother. Superannuation will be paid on parental leave.
• Long Service Leave will be able to be taken for periods of 1 day or less.
• Family Events Leave of 2 days will be provided.

Safe Workplaces

• The development of fatigue management policy and Health and Safety Psychosocial Policy has been agreed.

Advancing Gender Equity

The school is resisting addressing gender equity and has shown very little commitment.

This is demonstrated by their refusal to agree to proposals around commitment to gender equity, gender pay gap analysis, pay equity action plan, reporting to staff and including supportive practices such as breast feeding and lactation breaks.

The school has agreed to improve Domestic Violence (DV) provisions in the EA.

Willunga Waldorf School: EA Bargaining

Progress is slow in the Willunga Waldorf EA bargaining. Most claims put by the union have not been agreed to by the employer including class size provisions and industry standards for paid maternity leave.

Strategic Goals

Improve Pay and conditions

The school has made on offer of

• 5.68% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 May 2025
  (Step 10 = $$119,642.44, Grade 2.3 $67,773.64)
• 3.0% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 May 2026
  (Step 10 = $123,232 Grade 2.3 $69,807)
• 3.0% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 May 2027
  (Step 10 = $126,928.67 Grade 2.3 $71,901.)

This means Step 10 teachers will be around the salary level of DfE and Catholic Education South Australia (CESA). Non-teaching staff salaries are substantially lower. The amount offered does not consider increased cost of living over the last agreement.

Enhance Professional Voice

• A delegate’s rights clause has been agreed.
• The IEU’s claim for a definition of consultation has not been agreed by the employer. The school does not have consultative provisions in the agreement.
• Further bargaining to occur on a consultive clause and workload and class size grievance clause

Improve Work life Balance

• The employer has agreed to include right to disconnect provisions in the agreement.
• Breastfeeding and lactation breaks, Paid Reproductive Leave, Disability Leave and Foster Carers Leave are let to be agreed by the employer.
• The school has a sliding scale for Paid Parental Leave. The school currently offers 5 weeks of paid parental leave to educators in their first two years of service and the employer is proposing this increases to 8 weeks. This is well below industry standard.

Safe Workplaces

A fatigue management policy and Health and Safety Psychosocial Policy was claimed as part of the bargaining. If it is not agreed as part of bargaining the union may seek such provisions outside of bargaining under work health safe laws and regulations.

Maintain Secure and sustainable jobs

The employer is proposing to reduce provisions that were included to ensure greater job security, to increase temporary employment from 12 months to 2 years. Further clarification is being sought from the employer as to why this change is needed.

Advancing Gender Equity

The school is resistant to addressing gender equity and has shown very little commitment.

This is demonstrated by their refusal to agree to proposals around commitment to gender equity, gender pay gap analysis, pay equity action plan, reporting to staff and including supportive practices such as breast feeding and action breaks, anti-discrimination training and meeting industry standards on partner leave.

The school has agreed to DV training for one manager.

Wilderness School: Bargaining

At the end of 2024, members at Wilderness School resoundingly voted ‘No’ to an employer proposal for a new EA.

This ‘No’ vote was a result of ‘on the ground’ organising by members, who used their  collective strength to show they were angered by the employer’s offer, and the employer’s refusal to address matters of high importance to the members.

A 2% interim salary increase was paid to members.

While there are many things wrong with the employer’s proposal, the key issues for members included:

• A review of teacher workload, to address workload concerns.
• A review of professional staff and non-teaching staff classifications.
• Fortnightly pay and superannuation paid fortnightly.
• An increase in salary. Currently teachers and non-teaching staff at Wilderness School are paid less than DfE and CESA. It appears that there is a substantial gender pay gap between salaries offered at all-girls’ schools and those offered to teachers at all-boys’ schools.

Strategic Goals

Improve Pay and Conditions

The school has made on offer of

• 2.0% from the first full pay period on or after 1 February 2025
  (Step 10 = $117,989. Grade 2.3 $74,786)
• 3.4 % – from the first full pay period on or after 1 March 2025
  (Step 10 = $122,000. Grade 2.3 $77,329)
• 3.75% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 February 2026
  (Step 10 = $126,575 Grade 2.3 $80,229)
• 3.75% – from the first full pay period on or after 1 February 2027
  (Step 10 = $131,322. Grade 2.3 $83,238)

Currently members at Wilderness are paid less than DfE and CESA and substantially less than like schools such as Saint Peter’s Boys and Pembroke School.

This increase will put members above DfE and CESA by the end of the life of the agreement.

While such increases are important it still ensures that on a state-by-state comparison South Australian teachers are some of the lowest paid in Australia.

Enhance Professional Voice

The unions claim for a definition of consultation was agreed by the employer. The school currently has consultative provisions in the agreement. A delegate’s rights clause has been agreed.

Improve Work Life Balance

• The employer has agreed to include right to disconnect provisions in the agreement.
• The school currently has 14 weeks paid maternity leave and this will increase to 16 weeks.
• Breastfeeding and lactation breaks, Paid Reproductive Leave, Disability Leave and Foster Carers Leave are yet to be agreed by the employer.

Safe Workplaces

• The school has agreed to develop policies on fatigue management.
• No agreement on psychosocial policy and provisions and this will be dealt with outside of the agreement.
• Maintain Secure and sustainable jobs:
• No improvements on job security or career progression have been agreed.
• Members are seeking improved classification and conditions for non-teaching staff.

Advancing Gender Equity

The school is a laggard on gender equity. This means it demonstrates commitment on certain aspects of gender but also exhibits signs of conservatives and down right opposition to other provisions. The poor industrial treatment of highly feminised classifications is a concern.

For example, the employer has refused to agree to proposals around commitment to gender equity, gender pay gap analysis, pay equity action plan, reporting to staff and including supportive practices such breast feeding and action breaks, anti-discrimination train and meeting industry standards on partner leave.

Positive changes have been agreed on Domestic Violence Leave.

Portside Christian College

A huge display of strength, unity and some courage by members have led to some fantastic results at Portside.

All IEU(SA) members take note — this is what strong union action looks like.  

Knowing your worth, knowing your demands are fair and reasonable, and having solidarity with your colleagues showed that members’ efforts led them to some significant wins.

 Salaries

• Teachers – 4% each year of the agreement. This is an additional $1,770 per teacher over the life of the agreement than what the school had said many times was their best offer – leaving them 1.5% above the Department in 2026. A solid base on which to build in the next round.
• Support staff – 6.5%, 6.0% and 6.0%

Teachers included in the EA

• 200 days of attendance cap in EA
• Max Student Contact time mins/week – Primary 1425/Secondary 1400
• Minimum NCT mins/week – 200
• Max 5 reliefs per term
• Minimum release time for PORs
• A new proposed timetable for 2025 following implementation of the agreement.

Conditions

• $100 camp allowance per night for all camps (excluding international)
• Paid parental leave agreed to increase to 16 weeks from 12 weeks
• Family events leave of 2 days per annum.

The vote closed for the agreement on 21 March 2025 and the result was an overwhelming yes vote.

Prince Alfred College

Staff at PAC determined to vote down the College’s proposed Enterprise Agreement 67 against to 58 in favour.

The bargaining team, had taken a neutral position, as we had considered further salary increases and workload concessions were possible. Following the result the bargaining team reached out to members through a survey to understand what change was needed.

The overwhelming instruction was an increase to salary, and further workload concessions. The most popular workload concessions being changes to PTIs, commitment to reduction in F2F teaching, and a stronger Consultative Committee, as well as reporting double up removal.

The IEU bargaining team met again with the College on 18 March 2025, and has subsequently put a proposal to the college on Workload, salary and backpay. We await the College’s response.

Seymour College

Seymour have now responded to most of the Log of Claims. The key improvements are:

• Salary increases offer of 4% in 2025, following by an increase of 3% in 2026 and 2027. This effectively takes the purchasing power from 2011 levels to 2012 levels. We do not consider that this goes far enough. At this rate of real wage growth, it would take until 2039 before real wages return to their 2020 real wage levels.
• Increase of HAT allowance to $7K and Lead to $12K.
• An increase to the Camp Allowance to $130 a night with an additional payment of $50 a night for Saturday and Sunday.

Important matters that are still being discussed:

• Salary increases. We believe a more acceptable recovery rate is 4% per annum, in each year of the agreement which is expected to return members to their 2020 real wage levels by 2032.
• ELC classification and pay.
• Definitions and protections for Non-Instructional Time (NIT) to ensure that you understand when and how the school may direct work during your NIT.
• Increases to Paid Parental Leave.

St Peter’s Girls

Members at St Peter’s Girls are serious about improving their conditions. The school received this message loud and clear when the outcome of the ballot to take industrial action was announced.

62 members were eligible to vote. 62 members voted and at least 60 members voted in favour of taking industrial action. This has put the school on notice that members are willing to act collectively to get:

• Meaningful pay increases that make significant progress on returning them to their 2020 standard of living.
• Fortnightly pay as soon as is possible.
• Workload concessions that are clear.

The school offered only:

• a 4.25%, 3%, 3% pay offer. Well below what is acceptable and only returns staff to their 2014 purchasing power.
• A introductory date of July 2027 for fortnightly pays – which is a full 2 years and 3 months away.
• Workload being addressed through little known, used, (or even up to date) policies.

The IEU bargaining team continue to put in hard work each fortnight and we monitor closely the schools progress. Be alert for our updates and be prepared to take action as we continue to build our campaign.

Southern Vales Christian College

The Enterprise Agreement was successfully voted up and has been approved by the Fair Work Commission. This agreement delivered on the Log of Claims approved by members being maintenance of the ‘Zombie’ Agreement conditions together with DfE salaries.

Pilgrim School

EA was successfully voted up. Key changes include

• Increase in Parental Leave payment of 1 week to 15 weeks
• Expansion of Special leave to allow for ‘personally significant events’
• Increase in camp payment from $120 to $150 a night.
• Inclusion of Right to Disconnect and Delegates rights clauses
• Salary increases of 6% for 2025 and 4% for each of 2026 and 2027.

Dara School

EA was successfully voted up. Key wins include

• Increase in Parental Leave payment of 2 weeks to 16 weeks and includes Super
• Inclusion of 2 days of special leave for prescribed family events
• Ability to take Long Service Leave from 7 years (was from 10 years)
• Long Service Leave can be taken in periods as short as two weeks
• Consultative Committee includes a nominated IEU staff rep
• Inclusion of Right to Disconnect and Delegates rights clauses
• Current staff will be notified of any new or available positions prior to advertising externally,
• Limits the amount of salary that can be withheld if an employee doesn’t give sufficient notice,
• Reduction in Student Contact Time of 40 minutes (now at 1280 minutes per week)
• Definitions and examples of core activities, non-contact time and co-curricular activities
• Needs of students taken into consideration for class sizes,
• Teacher attendance days capped at 200,
• Includes new accreditation for gifted and talented qualifications
• Salary increases of 3.25% for 2025, 3% in 2026 and 3.25% in 2027.

Suneden Special School

Bargaining continues after a No Vote at the end of 2024. The employer has come back with an improved salary offer of 4% (up from 3.25%) backdated to February 2025. The school put on the table the inclusion of two days of Family Events Leave, but staff are still wanting the extra 5 Personal Leave days. At the most recent bargaining meeting of March 25, the school is holding to their position of Family Events Leave, rather than increased personal leave.

Superannuation paid for additional shifts for bus assistants will be resolved by also securing their work and moving their hours to ongoing employment. Members will need to decide if this slightly enhanced position is sufficient.

Sunrise Christian Schools

Bargaining will commence shortly. Sunrise has three Enterprise Agreements (EAs) covering their schools. The IEU has suggested that the three EA’s be combined, as yet we haven’t received a response.

Pulteney Grammar School

The School has issued their Notice of employee representational rights (NERR) with intent to imminently commence negotiations. The current EA expires at the end of April 2025.

EA’s due to start negotiations soon include:

Members at the following schools should note that EA negotiations start soon. Now is the time to talk with your colleagues about joining you in the IEU to increase your collective voice at negotiations. As you have just read above – when members use their collective voices, and are prepared to take the actions required, you can win changes in your workplace.

• Annesley Junior School
• Harvest Christian College
• The Hills Montessori
• Investigator College
• Pedare Christian College
• Pembroke School
• St Andrew’s School
• St George College
• St John’s Grammar School
• St Peter’s College (Boys)
• Tyndale Christian Schools
• Walford Anglican School for Girls
• Woodcroft College

Contact the IEU(SA) office to speak to the Organiser for your school – 8410 0122 or enquiries@ieusa.org.au