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Members need to be aware of what is happening in their school and in other sectors when it comes to bargaining for Enterprise Agreements (EAs). When you read this EA summary, you should be asking yourselves – how can we improve our EA by adding what other schools have on their Log of Claims.

Bargaining is about negotiating on conditions as well as salary – so be sure to consider all options that improve your EA and employment conditions.

Lutheran Schools Enterprise Bargaining (EB) 2026 and Catholic Schools EB24 updates are included in separate articles in our Latest News here.

St Peter’s College

The IEU attended the Fair Work Commission (FWC) regarding the approval of the proposed EA for St Peter’s College.

The hearing focused on the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) requirements, which must be satisfied before the EA can be formally approved.

During proceedings, the FWC requested further submissions and undertakings from the College and IEU.

Following this process, we are hopeful that the FWC will be in a position to approve the agreement. The FWC has also indicated that it intends to exercise its powers to address and correct several drafting issues identified in the EA.

In the meantime, the IEU wrote to the College requesting that salary increases be paid as soon as possible, noting that members have already voted in favour of the agreement. The College has advised that it will not implement the increases at this stage.

Pembroke School

Have Your Say: Pembroke Enterprise Agreement Survey Now Open

We are preparing to negotiate a new EA at Pembroke and member input is critical to achieving strong outcomes.

A short survey has been circulated to all members. This is your opportunity to highlight the workplace improvements that matter most to you and help shape our Log of Claims. The priorities identified through this survey will guide us at the bargaining table.

Our last round of negotiations delivered important wins including salary increases, improved leave provisions, flexible work protections, and safer, more supportive workplace conditions.

To build on this success, we need strong participation. Completing the survey only takes a few minutes, but it plays a vital role in securing better pay and conditions for everyone.

Talk to your colleagues, encourage them to take part, and if they are not yet members, now is the time to join.

1. Get your friends and colleagues to join the union
   The more members we have, the stronger our bargaining power for better pay and conditions: https://ieusa.org.au/join-the-ieusa/
2. Complete our short survey
   if you have not yet tell us about your pay, workload and other workplace issues so we can develop a strong log of claims.

Pembroke School Enterprise Agreement Negotiations 2026  – Fill out form

3. Follow us on social media
   https://www.facebook.com/ieusa
   https://www.instagram.com/ieu_SA

Together, we are stronger. Together, we can achieve more.

Pulteney Grammar School

Salary considerations:

• Current Top Step Teacher (TST): $115,045
• 2025 4%
• 2026:3.5%
• 2027: 3.5%

An employer straw poll of members has rejected the employer’s offer and we are all waiting to see how the School might act to make the agreement more palatable for the majority of members.

With The Advertiser (25 February 2026) reporting that the Pulteney Grammar School leadership salaries increased by 30.58% in one year, many staff are questioning whether the school’s salary offer of 11% over 3 years is enough.

The key outstanding issue is salary.

Pulteney Grammar trails peer schools in salary level. While leading independent schools pay between approximately $129,000 and $133,000 — and the public sector benchmark (DfE Step 9) is $123,236 — Pulteney’s top rate of $115,045 (May 2026), is around $8,000 below Department for Education (DfE) schools, and up to $18,000 less than the highest-paying non-government schools.

Pulteney falls into the lower pay tier of the education sector. This means experienced teachers at Pulteney are paid significantly less compared to their peers, reinforcing a broader pattern where salaries lag well behind both the public system and comparable independent schools.

Pulteney Grammar is also falling behind the broader market in its pay for Professional Services staff. At Level 2.2 (May 2026), Pulteney pays $70,571 — which is around $9,000 less than the public sector benchmark (DfE at $79,526) — and more than $10,000 below leading independent schools paying between $80,000 and $82,000.

Pulteney sits in the lower pay tier of the sector, closer to the lowest-paying employers than to its peers. This means support staff at Pulteney are earning significantly less than others doing comparable work, highlighting a clear gap that raises concerns about fairness, retention, and maintaining competitive standards across the independent school system.

St Andrew’s School

Bargaining Status: Close to Finalisation

Negotiations at St Andrew’s School are nearing completion, with salary outcomes and key conditions largely settled pending resolution of a few outstanding matters.

Salary Options Under Consideration

• Current Salary (Top Step Teacher): $124,510
• 3-year salary increase model:
  • 2026: 4%
  • 2027: 3.5%
  • 2028: 3.5%

This proposed structure represents a steady and front-loaded increase, delivering stronger gains in the first year while maintaining consistent growth across the EA.

We are currently in the EA drafting stage with the ballot of employees to be held in Term 2.

Key Changes

Several important improvements to working conditions have been included:

• Reduction in co-curricular hours from 60 to 50, with payment applying after 50 hours
• Expanded flexible work provisions, including clearer access for staff experiencing health-related conditions or personal circumstances

Annesley Junior School

• Current TST:  $122,000
• 2026: 3.25%
• 2027: 3%
• 2028: 3%

The outstanding matter in the Annesley Bargain is pay.

The Annesley Junior School pay offer is unreasonable in the current economic climate.

Inflation is sitting currently sitting at 3.8% and forecast to rise to 4.2% by mid-2026. That means a 3% wage increase is not keeping up with the cost of living. In real terms, education workers are going backwards.

Even where slightly higher increases are applied initially such as 3.25% subsequent 3% rises fail to match inflation over time. The result is a steady erosion of purchasing power. Each year, wages buy less: groceries, utilities, fuel, and essential services all continue to climb faster than salaries.

For Annesley members a pay rise that does not meet inflation is, in effect, a pay cut.

Tyndale Christian Group of Schools

• Current TST:  $116,515
• 2025: 4%
• 2026: 3%
• 2027: 3%

The employer has for many weeks been drafting the proposed agreement so bargaining representatives can see how they are addressing matters that have been agreed in principle.

As part of ongoing enterprise bargaining discussions, IEU members have sought further clarification from the employer regarding the proposed Position of Responsibility (POR) allowances for Band 2 Levels 1–3.

While the employer has indicated that the revised allowances are intended to remain competitive with the broader education sector, members have raised a number of important questions about how these figures were determined and whether they adequately reflect the responsibilities and workload associated with these roles.

Clarity on Roles and Responsibilities

Members are seeking greater transparency around the duties and expectations attached to each Band 2 level. In particular, clarification has been requested on:

• The specific leadership responsibilities and scope of work for Band 2 Levels 1, 2, and 3
• How differences in complexity, accountability, and workload are distinguished across the levels
• The process used by the school to classify positions within the Band 2 structure
• Whether all current Band 2 leaders have been provided with up-to-date job and person specifications

Understanding these distinctions is critical to ensuring that roles are appropriately defined and fairly recognised.

How Allowances Have Been Determined

The employer has proposed revised allowance rates of:

• Level 1: $5,202
• Level 2: $12,360
• Level 3: $21,197

Members have asked for greater detail on the methodology used to arrive at these figures, including:

• What benchmarking or comparative sector data informed the proposed amounts
• Whether workload expectations and time allocations were considered in the calculations

Transparency in this process is essential to building confidence that allowances are fair and evidence based.

Time Allocation and Workload

A key concern for members is the time provided to undertake POR duties. Questions have been raised about:

• The allocated time release or workload provisions attached to each Band 2 level
• The expected hours per week (or equivalent release time) required to fulfil the role

Members have emphasised that without adequate time allocation, these positions risk becoming unsustainable.

Monitoring and Review of Workload

In addition, members are seeking assurances about how workload is monitored and reviewed. Specifically:

• How the school determines whether allocated time is sufficient for the duties required
• What mechanisms exist to review and adjust workload expectations
• How the workload of Band 2 leaders is monitored to ensure responsibilities can be completed within the allocated time

The IEU will continue to advocate for transparency, fair recognition of leadership work, and sustainable workload expectations as bargaining progresses.

St Peter’s Woodlands Grammar School

This EA went to vote on 5 March 2026.  Staff voted the agreement down.

Our members have expressed concern that the pay % guarantee was only for Teachers and not for Student Support Officers (SSOs).

Parties will head back to the negotiating table with the next meeting booked for 30 March 2026.

If members would like to provide anymore feedback, they should contact their rep Mark DeLaine or Industrial Officer Emma Johnson.

St Johns Grammar School

Our last meeting was held on Wednesday 18 February 2026.

The meeting was quite productive in nature.

Further key claims were agreed by the school including:

• Comprehensive paid special and family events leave clause
• Long service leave access after 7 years
• Increased camp allowance of $165/$125 (depending on whether food needs to be provided) as well as a food allowance of $50 for non-compulsory trips such as the ski trip.

Parties have reached agreement in relation to a pay rise of 4%, 3.5% and 3% and back pay to the first full pay period from 1 February 2026.

• Current Top Step Teacher (TST): $121,205
• 2026: 4%
• 2027: 3.5%
• 2028: 3%

Parties are currently negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) for specific outstanding issues in bargaining.

We are working to reach an agreement in as short a timeframe as possible.

Walford Anglican School for Girls

We last met on 17 March 2026.

The School has made alternative offers for pay depending on increases to leave provisions of parental leave and special and family events leave.

Members have been surveyed and the IEU Reps are in the process of consolidating that information to put to the School.

Another meeting was held Tuesday 24 March 2026 and a more comprehensive update will be provided to members in due course.

Pedare Christian College

The bargaining team has been working very hard this year to advocate for the wins we have had at the bargaining table.

In particular, the College has agreed to reduce face to face time (F2F) for Teachers by 45 minutes.  When that will commence has been discussed. Depending on % increase it may occur in 2028 or 2029.

The College’s offer on 20 March 2026 was as follows:

• Pay 4.25%, 4%, 3.75% and 3.5% with a reduction in F2F time of 45 minutes from 2029.

The College’s offer on 24 February 2026 was as follows:

• Pay 4%, 3.75%, 3.5% and 3.5% with a reduction in F2F time of 45 minutes from 2028.

We seek members feedback in relation to the pay % increases, and the commencement of the reduction in F2F time.

Our next meeting is on 31 March 2026.

Woodcroft College

Our last meeting was 4 March 2026.

Since that time the College has put a ‘final offer’ for the staff to consider.

This includes:

1. Pay increases of 4%, 3.5% and 3.5% with backpay from the first full pay period after 1 February 2026
2. From 2028 the College will reduce Middle and Senior School tutor teacher workload by one lesson per week. This will be reflected in policy (not the EA).

The workload offer differs to what IEU members were seeking, which was:

1. a 1 lesson reduction for all full-time teachers per week (not only middle and senior school).
2. that workload be enshrined in the EA and workload reductions be included in the EA and not just policy.

The College wants to put the agreement to a vote.

A Sub-Branch meeting will be held for IEU members on Thursday 26 March 2026 at lunchtime to discuss the current offer and whether members want to agree to the EA going to vote, or not.

The next meeting with the College is Wednesday 1 April 2026.

Prince Alfred College Early Learning Centre

Bargaining has commenced with the first meeting occurring on the 24 March 2026. This was an opportunity to meet all the bargaining representatives and discuss the process for bargaining moving forward.

Between now and the next meeting on 21 April 2026, we will be drafting the Log of Claims.

We welcome any contribution from members in relation to changes and amendments they would like to see in the EA.  Please reach out to your Organiser Juliet Fuller.

Investigator College

Members have voted the improved offer up. The paperwork has been lodged with the FWC and we await their comment on whether anything needs to be addressed.

Sunrise Early Learning Centre and Schools

Bargaining continues at a slow pace. We had had two meetings this year but the next meeting is not until next month.

Country incentives are the main sticking point. The employer insists that what they are offering is commensurate with Catholic and similar schools. They have conceded that they are not looking to match or even get close to matching DfE country incentives.

The closest independent school to the Whyalla campus is Seaview Christian College in Port Augusta. With their 4.5% country loading, they pay their experienced teachers $133,257 ongoing. In July this will rise to $135,590. Compare that to what is on offer at Sunrise – to match department percentage increases only, so an increase in May 2026 of 3% for an ongoing salary of $119,951with an additional payment for the first year, equivalent to 4 weeks additional pay. So an experienced teacher who has been at Sunrise for more than one year will be over $15,000 worse off than an equivalent teacher at a Christian school just up the road.

At Seaview (and for Catholic and DfE schools) these Country Incentives are transparent as they are captured in the EA, Sunrise want to place them in policy, which doesn’t give any certainty that they will continue.

On a positive note, the employer has agreed to the IEU claim to have a standalone Partner Leave of 10 days that will be in addition to the Government funded Paid Partner Leave.

Kaplan International (was University of Adelaide College)

Members have met and endorsed requesting Kaplan and the IEU to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which would delay negotiations by 6 months, give an interim pay rise and give a modest improvement in redundancy provisions.

Garden College

Members have endorsed applying to the FWC for a Majority Support Determination to bargain for an EA to cover teachers.

The College has refused to initiate bargaining themselves and so we have no choice but to try to force them to the table. Members have been collecting signatures, and we will use that to demonstrate that a majority of teachers want an EA. We have a hearing date in the FWC and will keep members updated with the outcome.