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In my first enterprise bargaining campaign, I remember the lead negotiator for the Education Department—a seasoned school principal—saying, “Why do you want more non-contact time? You know we’ll just give you a token amount and ask you to do more.”

At the time, we didn’t have a name for it. We just knew that the work kept piling up and the time to do it never followed.

Since then, teachers have fought and won more Non-Instruction Time (NIT), but the reality is that the demands of the job have continued to outpace any gains. Classrooms have become more complex, and the intensity of work outside of them has sharply risen.

Every union survey, every meeting, and every conversation with teachers tells the same story: the hours are longer, the work is harder, the expectations are higher and the needs of students are greater.

We used to call it unreasonable workloads. Now we have a name for it: Time Poverty.

Recent research by Professor Greg Thompson and Dr Craig Wood has brought definition to what so many educators have long experienced. Time poverty is more than just long hours. It’s the chronic mismatch between the volume and complexity of teachers’ work and the time available to do it well. It’s not about inefficiency or poor time management—it’s a systemic failure.

The Human Cost of Time Poverty

IEU members consistently report that their working days are consumed by a relentless layering of tasks. Teaching time is interrupted by unplanned disruptions, administrative overload, student behaviour challenges, occupational violence, and staffing shortfalls.

Add to that the so-called “extras”—co-curricular duties, data entry, parent communication, compliance—and it’s no wonder that time for real and engaging teaching is vanishing.

So, what gets sacrificed?

The very heart of quality education: lesson planning, reflection, professional dialogue, student connection, spontaneity and professional learning.

This erosion of time has cascading impacts on teaching quality, job satisfaction, mental health and workforce retention. Teachers are telling us they’re not just tired—they’re disillusioned, burnt out and increasingly considering leaving the profession.

National Evidence: Australians Are Overworked and Undervalued

Time poverty is not unique to teaching. A recent national survey by The Australia Institute of 1,786 adults revealed that only 21% of workers actually work the hours they want. Half would prefer fewer hours, and many part-timers want more.

Teachers (most of whom are women) are giving away countless unpaid hours to a system that relies on their undervalued labour. These excess hours aren’t just unfair they reflect a deep structural problem.

Instead, they use the teacher shortage as an excuse to maintain the status quo. It’s a vicious cycle: excessive workloads drive teachers out, then those who remain are expected to pick up the slack, and extra support is denied as we have a teacher shortage.

The Australia Institute survey says nearly two-thirds of Australian workers report feeling rushed “often or always,” rising to 75% among those working over 40 hours per week. This a reality for most teachers who, according to South Australian research, work on average 52 hours per week. For women educators, who often juggle unpaid caregiving responsibilities at home, the pressure is even greater.

The consequences go beyond exhaustion. Many workers say their job interferes with family life; say it stops them from exercising or even eating well.

This is time poverty—and it’s eroding our wellbeing and resilience.

It’s time to stop giving away our hours. It’s time to take them back.

The System Steals Time

The problem isn’t that teachers fail to manage their time—the system steals it.

Hours are lost to bureaucratic tasks, unnecessary meetings and constant crisis management. Much of the work in schools and preschools is only possible because teachers do unpaid overtime during evenings, weekends and school holidays.

Well-meaning new initiatives are routinely rolled out without sufficient funding or staffing. The result? Educators are expected to absorb the cost through longer hours and personal sacrifice.

What we need is real, structural change:

• Where educators’ time is protected, not crammed with competing tasks.
• Where workloads are reasonable, not punishing.
• Where professional time is respected, not stolen.

IEU Calls to Action: Time Justice in Every Claim

To make teaching sustainable and respected, time justice must be at the centre of all enterprise bargaining claims. The IEU calls on employers to:

• Redefine workload through the lens of time poverty, not just checklists.
• Regulate face-to-face teaching time and class complexity.
• Protect non-contact time from being absorbed by relief duties or unplanned tasks.
• Guarantee breaks for all educators—this means real lunch breaks, and recovery time between demanding days.
• Prioritise teaching and learning over peripheral duties.
• Slash unnecessary compliance and administrative burdens.
• Embed collaborative planning into the school day.

This isn’t just about making teaching easier. It’s about making it possible.

What Unions Must Do Next

Time poverty is a core industrial issue. The IEU joins with unions nationwide to reclaim time for working people. Our action agenda includes:

1. Bargain for enforceable workload limits – including maximum teaching hours and minimum non-contact time.
2. Defend the right to disconnect – limit after-hours contact and schedule changes.
3. Expose unpaid overtime – run workload audits and encourage members to “Go Home on Time”.
4. Expose wage theft – where employers are unwilling to act, taking them for pecuniary penalties that serve a deterrent effect both for them and also other employers.
5. Champion gender equity – secure flexible work, Paid Parental Leave and recognition of unpaid care roles.

Time Is a Union Issue

Time poverty is real. We feel it every day in schools and preschools. We see it in the eyes of exhausted teachers, in the resignation of mid-career educators walking away, and in the frustration of early career teachers questioning their choice.

We can fix this—but only if we organise to demand it.

When unions fight for time and tackle unreasonable workloads, we don’t just win more hours—we win the future of our profession.

No more free hours. It’s time to reclaim what’s ours.