Rep Elections
Has your workplace held
elections yet?
Graduate Teachers
A checklist to consider when
you start your first job.
The Project
Increasing the involvement
and profile of Education
Support Staff in the Union.
Deputies
Key outcomes of the recent
survey examined.
International Women’s Day
The IEU launch the Women’s
Rights at Work Festival.
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PRINT POST 100010937
VOLUME 7 NO 1 MARCH 2017
CRT get a Kickstart
Over 50 IEU casual relief teacher members started
their 2017 school year attending the CRT Kickstart.
T
he IEU, in conjunction with the
TLN and the AEU, hosted inperson and online participants
at a professional development
opportunity to get them enthused
and headed in the right direction on
Wednesday 8 February.
Workshops provided training
in last-minute lesson plans; back
pocket activities; dealing with
difficult class situations; how to
market oneself to get the best
employment; VIT registration
information; as well as updates on
industrial matters. All participants
receive a certificate indicating
7 hours of training has been
completed, going towards the 20
hour VIT registration requirement.
The IEU is committed to
identifying and responding to the
needs of our CRT members. We
recognise that many CRTs are not
attached to schools, and need to
source their own training.
The CRT conference provides for the
unique needs of casual teachers, at
a reasonable cost. Feedback from
attendees of Kickstart indicates
that these conferences afford them
not only training but important
networking with people in a similar
situation – providing connectivity
as well as Union identity.
Further CRT conferences
are on offer in 2017, each
providing 7 hours of professional
development:
Wednesday 5 April –
Understanding Autism
Wednesday 5 July – Working
with extreme behaviour
Wednesday 27 September –
The Trends
Registrations are open for
all of these conferences at
www.ieuvictas.org.au and click
on the Got 20? button. We look
forward to seeing you later in
the year!
Laptop refunds on the way
Members in independent
and Catholic Schools
around Victoria and
Tasmania are beginning to
receive refunds of money
that was charged for
school-provided laptops.
L
ast year we reported on a
landmark Federal Court case
won by our sister union in the
government school sector – the
AEU (Vic). The Court’s judgement
has made it very clear that schools
cannot make employees pay for
laptops (and most other costs).
Since then, we have been busy
negotiating with schools about
arrangements to repay members
who have been charged for schoolprovided laptops. A number of
independent schools have reached
agreement with the IEU and have
already repaid all money collected
from members over recent years.
An agreement has been reached
covering all Victorian Catholic
schools and we expect that our
members will receive their refunds
in the near future. (Catholic Schools
were instructed to stop making
deductions from members’ salaries
last year). The refunds cover
money taken as far back as 2009
and, for some people, they add up
to thousands of dollars.
Background
The AEU ran and won a large
and complex legal case about
school-provided computers and
staff being asked to contribute
to the costs (through deductions
from their wages). The Court
found that, in short, unless the
arrangement is wholly for your
benefit (for example, that the
computer isn’t necessary for
school work) the employer cannot
charge you for it.
For some years the IEU has been
giving advice (which the AEU’s
decision supports) that employers
cannot take money out of your
wages unless you specifically
agree and it is primarily for your
personal benefit. Otherwise, the
only deduction the employer
might be allowed to take from
your wages is if you fail to give
proper notice of your resignation.
…schools cannot
make employees
pay for laptops.
The Federal Court found that
laptops are a ‘tool of the trade’ for
teachers and that, in most cases,
there was no realistic practical
alternative to the laptop program. It
rejected the government’s argument
that the deductions from wages
were permitted by the employees
signing an agreement, and found
that the payments benefitted the
employer and were ‘unreasonable
in the circumstances’. Any signed
agreement cannot override the
Fair Work Act which prohibits such
deductions. The same principles
apply to support staff members.
The key points of the MoU
between the IEU and CECV are:
Members who contributed from
their salary towards the cost of
a laptop (and/or an upgrade)
which they needed to use for
work will be reimbursed for all
contributions made since 1 July
2009, plus 5% interest
There is no reimbursement
where the laptop was not
actually needed for work,
eg: enough properly functioning
school laptops/ipads/tablets
were readily available for staff
use such that there was no real
need for another device
Office staff had their own
desktops and had no need for
another device (eg. the payroll
officer had a desktop and did
not need to work from home).
Members who are no longer
employed at the school will
receive these reimbursements too.
T: (03) 9254 1860 • F: (03) 9254 1865 • FreeCall: 1800 622 889 • E: [email protected] • W: www.ieuvictas.org.au
MELBOURNE OFFICE: 120 Clarendon Street, Southbank 3006 • HOBART OFFICE: 379 Elizabeth Street, Nth Hobart 7000
There will be a small deduction
where the person elected to keep
the laptop at the end of the period
of the scheme, and was issued
with another school laptop and
if an employee has an agreed
outstanding salary overpayment,
the school can deduct the
overpayment from the laptop
reimbursement.
Arrangements we have agreed
with independent schools, while
they may vary a little, are broadly
similar, though some independent
schools still have not reached any
agreement and are (unlawfully)
trying to resist repaying members.
While on the subject, some
schools try to make employees pay
for all kinds of things: staff dinners,
damage to ipads, insurance
excesses, academic gowns, lost
keys – the list goes on. The fact is,
they cannot do this – it’s illegal.
If you have any questions,
please speak to your sub-branch
rep or contact the Union.
The Point is published by the
Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania.
2
THE POINT March 2017
Congratulations to the following members who have
won gift cards as a reward for simply updating their
details before the end of January.
Ebony Anderson, St Mel’s School Shepparton
Meredith M Balfe, Sacred Heart College Newtown
PD
in the pub
2017
ROUND 1
Rosalie M Batty, Presbyterian Ladies’ College
First Aid kit: A guide for
graduate teachers
Belinda L Chiswell, St Alipius’ School Ballarat East
Jacqueline D Cichello, Ave Maria College Aberfeldie
Kathryn Y Condric, Star of the Sea College George Town
Coby Beatson
Gregory J Downes, The Friends’ School North Hobart
This fast-paced session will give you new
strategies to boost your teaching potential. Topics
covered include engaging students through
higher order thinking, teaching the skills they
need for the future and classroom management
through student engagement.
Amanda J Ellingworth, Monash College Melbourne
Carmel Feeney, Sacred Heart Girls’ College Oakleigh
Patricia Foran, St Augustine’s School Maryborough
Claire E Harrison, St Joseph’s School Hawthorn
Samantha J Jilbert, St Joseph’s School Red Cliffs
Theresa M Lochery, St Bede’s College Mentone
Anthony Marchione, Holy Child School Dallas
Merri B O’Halloran, Our Lady of Mercy College Heidelberg
Andrew G Prince, Australian International Academy
Bernadette M Renwick, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart College
Jennifer M Taylor, Our Lady of the Rosary School Kyneton
Margaret F Weston, St Kevin’s School Lower Templestowe
Location
Date
Venue
Geelong
Wed, March 8
The Sporting Globe
175 Ryrie St
Point Cook
Wed, March 22
Phoenix Hotel
40 Wallace Ave
South
Melbourne
(also online)
Thurs, May 17
IEU office
120 Clarendon St, Southbank
R O UN D 2
Behaviour management
Glen Pearsall
These events are free for AEU and IEU members.
Sessions run from 4.30pm to 6pm.
Frances Williams, St Vincent de Paul’s School Strathmore
Free for
AEU and
IEU student
members and
full members.
These sessions offer valuable and
practical personal development from
a top class practitioner in a convivial
surrounding.
Book online
Effective behaviour management is a skill that
all teachers need and something that needs
continual development in the dynamic classroom
environment.
This engaging session looks at proven
management techniques which you can use in
your classroom the following day.
Location
Date
Venue
Ballarat
Tues, July 25
Oscars & Golden City Hotel
18 Doveton Street South
Booking is essential.
IEU Victoria Tasmania
AEU members go to aeuvic.asn.au/pub and click on
the event you would like to attend.
STOP Gendered Violence @ Work Webinar
IEU members go to www.ieuvictas.org.au/
pdinthepub2017.
The Victorian Trades Hall Council released its report, STOP Gendered Violence at
Work in November 2016. The report is a result of conversations with Victorian
women about their experience of work and represents the commitment of the
IEU and other unions to eliminate gendered violence at work.
This is the first step towards achieving the elimination of this hazard
in the workplace.
This webinar focuses on defining violence at work in a way that reflects women
workers’ experience of violence. It is open to all employees but in particular,
school leaders, health and safety representatives, members of occupational
health and safety committees and IEU sub branch reps. It will include real-world
examples, discussion and the opportunity to interact with the presenters.
Warrnambool Wed, July 26
Geelong
Thurs, July 27
Croydon
Tues, Aug 1
Flying Horse Bar & Brewery
Cnr Princes Hwy & Mahoneys Rd
The Sporting Globe
175 Ryrie St Geelong
Dorset Gardens
335 Dorset Rd
Fountain Gate Hotel
Fountain Gate Shopping Centre,
Overland Drive
The St Albans Hotel,
5 Mc Kechnie St
The Olympic Hotel
Monash University,
McMahons Rd
Not a member?
Narre Warren Wed, Aug 2
Go to aeuvic.asn.au/join for government school
teachers.
St Albans
Thurs, Aug 3
Or ieuvictas.org.au/membership/join/ for
non-government school teachers.
Preston
Tues, Aug 15
Bendigo
Wed, Aug 16
Shamrock Hotel
Cnr Pall Mall and Williamson St
Moorabbin
Thurs, Aug 17
Sandbelt Hotel
Cnr South & Bignell Rds
Chadstone
Wed, Aug 23
Matthew Flinders Hotel
667 Warrigal Rd
Abbotsford
(& online)
Thurs, Aug 24
AEU Headquarters
126 Trenerry Cres
Student membership is free.
Tuesday 21 March, 2.00pm - 3.00pm
FREE for IEU members, $40 for non-members
To book, visit www.ieuvictas.org.au/ohswebinar
#3380
Congratulations
Activate. Educate. Unite.
WHAT’S IN THE POINT
CONTACT US
Victorian Catholic Agreement
Update on negotiations
Page 3
Behind the Whiteboard
Issues in brief
Page 4
Child-safe Standards
Reportable Conduct scheme introduced in Victoria
Page 5
Bargaining Roundup
Overview of independent sector bargaining
Page 6
Family-friendly workplaces
Seeking to include pre-natal leave
Page 7
OHS
Your rights around consultation
Page 12
Principal Wellbeing
Principal morale at all time low
Page 13
Career Corner
Future-proof your career
Page 13
Union Summer
The IEU played host to two young activists
Page 15
International Roundup
News from around the world
Page 19
/IEUvictas
@IEUnews
EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING
ENQUIRIES
T: (03) 9254 1860 F: (03) 9254 1865
FreeCall: 1800 622 889
E: [email protected]
W: www.ieuvictas.org.au
CONTRIBUTIONS & LETTERS
from members are welcome
and should be forwarded to:
The Point PO Box 1320, South
Melbourne 3205, or by email
to: [email protected]
MELBOURNE OFFICE:
120 Clarendon Street,
Southbank 3006
HOBART OFFICE:
379 Elizabeth Street, Nth
Hobart 7000
The Point is published by
the Independent Education
Union Victoria Tasmania.
IEU Victoria Tasmania
EDITORIAL CONTENT:
Responsibility for editorial
comment is taken by
D James, 120 Clarendon Street,
Southbank 3006. Views
expressed in articles reflect
those of the author and are
not necessarily union policy.
COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT
General Secretary:
Debra James
Deputy Secretary:
Loretta Cotter
President:
Mark Williams
Deputy President: Elisabeth Buckley
Ordinary Members:
Patrick Bennett
Andrew Dunne
Heather Macardy
Andrew Wood
School Officers:
Christine Scott
COUNCIL PRESIDENTS
& DEPUTIES
Catholic Primary Council
President: Maree Shields
Deputy: Rachael Evans
Catholic Secondary Council
President: Stephen Hobday Deputy: Ruth Pendavingh
Independent Council
President: Cara Maxworthy Deputy: Coralie Taranto
Tasmanian Council
President: John Waldock Deputy: Paul Mannion
Principals’ Council
President: John Connors Deputy: Greg Lane
3
March 2017 THE POINT
If you haven’t already… Get Repped!
T
he Union has received an excellent
response so far in the 2017
election cycle for sub-branch reps.
There are some schools, however, still
dragging the chain.
For the proper conduct of the rep election,
a Returning Officer (a member who is not
standing for election as rep) should be
chosen to call for nominations for the role.
In the event that there is more than one
nomination for the position, an election must
occur, where only financial members vote.
Victorian Catholic
Agreement update
Negotiations for a new Agreement covering Victorian
Catholic schools are well underway, with regular
meetings scheduled throughout this term.
D
iscussions around both the
IEU claim and the employer
claim commenced last
August and the parties have spent
many hours working to ‘understand
the position’ of the other side.
The pace has certainly picked up
somewhat in the meetings held
to date this year, but while some
progress is being made we are still a
very long way from agreement. The
IEU Committee of Management
is being regularly briefed on
emerging issues and we hope
that significant progress has been
made by the time our Reps meet at
Council meetings on 13 May.
Central to our claim, as always,
is to maintain parity of wages
with our government sector
colleagues, so the deal achieved
for staff in government schools
always sets some key elements of
the outcome in ours. Accordingly,
progress in the government sector
is being closely watched by parties
in our negotiations. Unfortunately,
those talks appear to have stalled
somewhat and the AEU Council
has authorised the making of an
application to hold a protected
action ballot which is the first step
towards taking industrial action.
The AEU has been in negotiations
with the Government for over
11 months now and is strongly
committed, as are we, to
achieving a deal which includes
provisions to address workload
intensification in schools.
Pressure is rightly building in
Catholic and government schools.
Both Agreements have expired
and the last pay rise, other than
increases for staff coming from
incremental progression, was in
August 2015! That’s a long time
between pay rises given that the
next increase is not yet in our
sights. Nor can we afford to let the
pressure for a pay rise get in the
way of achieving improvements in
working conditions, employment
security, and much needed
measures to deal with excessive
workloads. Watch this space!
Whatever the result, it is critical we
receive the completed sub-branch
election result pro-forma, signed by the
elected rep and the Returning Officer.
Email to [email protected] or
fax to 9254 1865.
The proper election of your sub-branch
rep is fundamental to the efficient and
democratic operation of your Union. We
know how busy you are but urge you to
finalise this at your workplace.
Get Repped Now!
Not teaching,
drowning
Increasingly unmanageable
workloads are taking their toll on
teachers, principals and education
support staff in our schools.
I
t’s a widespread and complex
problem which does not
have a simple solution, but
surely the first step in moving
forward is to acknowledge there
is a problem to be fixed and
recognise what is contributing
to it.
Principals talk about the
struggle to be effective education
leaders in their schools with far
too much of their time taken
up with administration and
compliance. The 2016 Principal
Health and Wellbeing Survey
cites the two greatest causes of
stress for principals as both the
sheer quantity of work and the
lack of time to focus on teaching
and learning.
Teachers tell us they need
more time to plan their classes
and do the preparation they need
in order to deliver high quality
teaching. When they are not in
the classroom, they are caught
up in meetings and other tasks
and duties ancillary to their
work with students, and say
they don’t get enough time to do
the job. The prep has to be done
regardless, and it too often gets
done at home at night and on
weekends.
Many education support staff
cannot complete their duties
in their paid hours of work
and are increasingly called
on to perform tasks outside
of their role description and
classification level.
The IEU has improving
workloads for our members at
the top of our agenda. It will not
GENERAL SECRETARY
DEBRA JAMES
be a quick fix and will require
a focused effort on a number
of fronts. While some workload
conditions such as class size
limits and caps on scheduled
class time are currently
regulated, the IEU will campaign
to have them improved. However,
it is in the currently unregulated
space that many workload
pressures are to be found. Too
many meetings, too many duties,
unreasonable expectations
around responding to email,
continuous assessment and
reporting, increased compliance
measures add to the pressure of
work and take away from time to
focus on students.
Our teachers, principals and
ESS need a life-line before it’s
too late.
4
THE POINT March 2017
Welcome to BTW 2017. This column provides snippets
of the unreported, the rumour, the goss, all designed
to fill you in on the behind the scenes stuff that
goes on in schools. You can contribute too – simply
email your contributions to [email protected]
Confidentiality is assured.
BAD SANTA HANGOVER
I don’t want to dwell on the end of the
2016 school year, we all want to move
on. But here’s a couple of cases where
clearly end of year pressure and a sense
of dogma got to people. Thankfully, our
vigilant IEU Organisers were able to
sort such matters:
A PD session was arranged for a
couple of hours in the afternoon on
the last day of school. Teachers who
were leaving the school in 2017 were
directed to perform cleaning duties
in the sick bay, admin area, common
areas. 1950s thinking!
In another school, the official
last day was to be a half day, but
teachers were to clean their rooms
between 4 and 6 in preparation for
the 2017 school year. Once that was
accomplished, they were to proceed
to the ‘staff function’ (what a hoot
that was going to be), but were not
allowed to go home, shower and
change before the gala event. This
story gets dirtier by the minute. For
OH&S reasons, the staff function
was decreed to run strictly between
6 and 9. That’s unshowered, sweaty
and dirty from cleaning, driving
haphazardly to the venue so you
don’t miss out on glass of Sparkling
Bodega and Canapes. That’s before
the undercooked Chicken Kiev.
No planned presentations for
staff leaving. And no certificates
presented to staff for passing
Cleaning 101-The Last day.
GOAL SETTING
A call from a member new to
an independent school. At the
start of the year she, along with
other members of her faculty,
was presented with a document
outlining annual goal-setting.
References to achieving Year 12
grades 1.0 above the world, specified
minimum numbers of Year 11s
doing Year 12, minimum numbers
of study scores above 40, specified
percentage of students achieving
A or A+ in the final exam, specified
minimum number of students
doing the subject in Year 12 in 2018.
What a great school!
REP PROFILE
I
The perks of having
a good rep.
SHORT CUTS
Staff in Catholic Education on fixed-
term contracts – Take steps to find out
why you’re on them, and then steps
to get off them. These should not be
backward steps. The climate is ripe.
BTW has noticed the ‘potential for
declining enrolments’ existing in many
contracts as the reason for being fixedterm. How many years do employers
want to use that reason? Natural
attrition frequently fixes staffing, and
in worse case scenarios, there are the
redundancy guidelines.
Donating blood is not a valid reason
for the use of sick leave. You are
not sick under the definition. Speak
to your employer about this noble
activity. Time off for an operation for
the family pet unfortunately does
not fall under the umbrella of carer’s
leave either.
Victoria Police recently gave advice
to a member when questioned about
requests for harassment assistance
– ‘If you’re a member of a Union,
they’ll be able to do more for you
than we can’.
Variations to part-time loads in the
Victorian Catholic sector require
consultation, rationale, at least 8 weeks
written notice, and the potential for
severance payments for significant
reduction in hours. Notification and
consultation does not involve the
placing of a revised timetable in a staff
member’s pigeon hole.
On that note, keep up your good
work, value and respect your union
membership, and get the free riders
on the IEU bus, all stops to self-respect
and workplace harmony.
REP PROFILE
Stephanie Li Rosi
n only her third year of
teaching, Stephanie Li
Rosi is both the IEU Rep
and Health and Safety
Rep at St Mary of the
Cross Mackillop Catholic
Parish Primary School
North Epping.
Having trained at ACU,
Stephanie went to the
school as a graduate in
2015 and took on a Prep
class. She is still teaching
Prep and enjoys the
interaction with students
and parents.
St Mary of the Cross
is one of a number of
relatively new Catholic
schools being established
across Melbourne’s
growth corridors. Opened
in 2013, there are now 372
students at the school
which boasts brand-new
facilities and plenty of
yard space for student
activities and play.
Stephanie says she
The question is of course –‘What
happens to me if I don’t achieve the
goal?’ Will the non-achievement be
used as a discipline tool? Goal setting
in itself is not a bad thing, if established
in a consultative, collaborative manner,
across the school, applied fairly. And
with a cast iron guarantee that it is not
to be used as a big stick to discipline
staff. AITSL standards frequently enter
the equation – again, to be applied
fairly. Keep your wits about you, and
make sure you’re working a minimum
53 hours per week to achieve the goals.
Heather Handley
was really happy to take
on both the IEU Rep and
OHS Rep roles as both are
really important for staff.
She writes a weekly OHS
blog discussing issues
like manual handling and
other workplace hazards.
She has completed Rep
Training and the 5-day
Health and Safety Rep
training course where
she says she learned a lot
about the roles.
Stephanie has been
fantastic at spreading
the word about the
importance of joining
the IEU, providing staff
with resources and
information. Staff have
got another reason to be
grateful to Stephanie. In
2016 during Worksafe
Health and Safety Month
she won a WorkSafe
competition and collected
a fantastic coffee machine
for the staffroom.
B
‘Berry’ good work:
Heather has
worked at Berry
St in Shepparton
since 2013.
erry St is a different
kind of school,
providing a different
learning environment
for students who, due to
traumatic experiences,
may have significant gaps
in academic achievement
and have found it difficult
to learn in a group
setting, presenting with
behavioural and social
problems in school.
Heather’s own journey
into teaching is an
interesting one. ‘Shep’
born and bred, she married
and had four children and
worked in retail. In 1999
she decided to go back to
school and completed Year
12 as a mature age student.
She then enrolled in an
Arts degree at Latrobe, and
continued on into teaching.
Heather worked in the
government sector from
2005 until getting the job at
Berry St. During that time
she developed a passion
for teaching with a special
interest in student welfare
and counselling, and
completed further study.
When the opportunity
came up at Berry St it was a
perfect match!
Heather is a long-term
unionist, being with the
AEU when she worked in
the government sector.
However, when she began
work at Berry St back in
2013, she was unaware
of which union to join.
Fortunately several union
organisers came out to
the school to promote
and recruit for the IEU as
well as talk to staff about
what the union was doing
to improve things for
staff working at Berry St
through bargaining for
an Enterprise Agreement.
Heather not only joined
the Union on that day but
also agreed to be our rep!
5
March 2017 THE POINT
DEPUTY SECRETARY
LORETTA COTTER
The Fair Work Commission
decision of 23 February 2017
reduces the rates of Sunday
pay primarily for full-time,
part-time and casual workers
in the hospitality, retail and
fast food sectors.
T
he McKell Institute estimates that
about 680,000 Australians will be
impacted, with the majority of these
workers being female. There is also no
dispute that the changes will impact the
lowest paid workers – those who rely on
penalty rates to make a living wage, and
also entry level workers such as students
doing weekend work.
With the proposed implementation
date later this year, full-time and part-time
hospitality workers who work an 8-hour
shift on a Sunday could expect to see a
$33.19 reduction in Sunday pay. In the retail
Counting the cost –
Low-paid workers to suffer
under penalty rates decision
industry, full-time and part-time workers
are estimated to lose a minimum of $72.90
a week, and casuals $45.56 a week. In the
fast food sector, full-time and part-time
workers would have their Sunday earnings
reduced by $36.45, and casuals by $45.56.
The proposition of employer groups that
reducing rates would mean businesses
could increase services and trading hours
was accepted by the Commission, as was
the argument that it would lead to more
employment. The Commission stated
that ‘we agree with the assessment in
the Productivity Commission Final Report
that there are likely to be some positive
employment effects from a reduction in
penalty rates, although it is difficult to
quantify the precise effect.’
Wage growth in Australia has also
stagnated over the last few years, so
these cuts will hit particularly hard. The
Commission acknowledged that ‘many of
these employees earn just enough to cover
weekly living expenses, saving money is
difficult and unexpected expenses produce
considerable financial distress.’
So the lowest-paid workers get to work
longer hours if they don’t want their take
home pay reduced, which is difficult to do
if you are already full-time. The decision is
fundamentally wrong any way you look at
it – it might pass the ‘reasonable test’ if we
had a cap on executive salaries, a greater
tax obligation on the wealthy to fund the
social safety net, and if the wages of retail,
fast food and hospitality workers were high
enough at the base level to actually warrant
a reduction in weekend rates.
The effect of this decision is to drive
another wedge in the increasing gap
between the haves and have nots in
Australia, a social and economic divide that
we need to continue to challenge, educate,
and campaign against. Are you with us?
Proposed changes to Sunday penalty rates
Hospitality Award
Full-time and part-time employees: 175 per cent to 150 per cent
(no change for casuals)
Fast Food Award (Level 1 employees only)
Full-time and part-time employees 150 per cent to 125 per cent
Casual employees 175 per cent to 150 per cent
Retail Award
Full-time and part-time employees: 200 per cent to 150 per cent
Casual employees: 200 per cent to 175 per cent .
CHILD SAFE STANDARDS
A Reportable Conduct Scheme
introduced in Victoria
In the last few years
many State and Territory
governments have been
introducing legislation dealing
with child protection matters.
V
arious enquiries into child abuse,
including the current Royal
Commission into Institutional
Responses to Child Sexual Abuse are
resulting in the implementation of legislation
dealing with the regulation and conduct of
employees working with children.
One by one, states have been introducing
Working With Children Registration, Child
Safe Schools Standards, Employee Codes
of Conduct, Reportable Conduct Schemes,
Information Sharing, and new criminal
offences such as Grooming, Failure to
Disclose a Sexual Offence, and Failure of a
Person in Authority to Protect a Child from
a Sexual Offence.
The Victorian government continues
to introduce a raft of child protectionrelated legislation. Since August last year
changes to the requirements for school
registration have meant that Victorian
schools have had to attest that they
met (or were in the process of meeting
by the end of the year) nine Child Safe
Standards, including the development
of a Child Safety Code of Conduct for
Staff, procedures for responding to and
reporting allegations of suspected child
abuse; and staff selection, supervision
and management practices.
Most recently, legislation introducing a
Reportable Conduct Scheme similar to that
operating in NSW has been passed by both
houses of parliament. The scheme requires
an employer to notify the Commission for
Children and Young People of allegations of
‘reportable conduct’ by an employee, and then
report the findings of the investigation carried
out by the employer, and any subsequent
action taken or not against the employee.
What is ‘reportable conduct’?
The legislation defines ‘reportable
conduct’ as
a)A sexual offence committed against,
with or in the presence of, a child,
whether or not a criminal proceeding
in relation to the offence has been
commenced or concluded
b)Sexual misconduct, committed against,
with or in the presence of, a child
c) Physical violence committed against,
with or in the presence of, a child
d)Any behaviour that causes significant
emotional or psychological harm
to a child
e)Significant neglect of a child.
‘Significant’ defined in relation to
emotional or psychological harm
or neglect, means that the harm
or neglect is more than trivial or
insignificant, but need not be as high
as serious and need not have a lasting
permanent effect.
‘Sexual misconduct’ is defined
further as including behaviour,
physical contact or speech or other
communication of a sexual nature,
inappropriate touching, grooming
behaviour and voyeurism.
Both the IEU Victoria Tasmania
and the AEU (Victorian Branch)
have raised a number of issues of
concern with the Department of
Human Services and the Minister’s
office. The Unions are concerned
about the definitions of reportable
conduct, which do not seem as clear
and reasonable as those in NSW.
Mechanisms of appeal are also
limited. The Unions have made it
clear that they expect to be consulted
further on guidance or practice notes
that the Commission should develop
to help clarify the definition of
‘reportable conduct’.
In addition to the reportable
conduct scheme, the Union has also
recently responded to a Victorian
discussion paper on a proposed
legislative model for Child Safety
and Wellbeing Information Sharing
which will enable prescribed bodies
to share information on a child in
relation to the safety and wellbeing
of that child. The legislation will
outline thresholds for sharing
information. The organisations which
are listed as prescribed, including
schools, will be able to request
information. They will, however,
be required to provide information
requested by another prescribed body,
except in certain circumstances.
The proposed scheme is similar to
that operating already in NSW.
6
THE POINT March 2017
BARGAINING ROUNDUP
The Agenda for Change
Victoria
L
ooking back on independent
school bargaining for 2016
is a good opportunity to see
what trends emerged and what
we might expect for 2017. The first
observation is that Victorian school
bargaining slowed down in terms of
Agreements approved – just 10 for
2016, with 5 approved this year so far
and 3 awaiting approval. The main
reason for this slowdown is that a
number of schools elected to hold
off bargaining and wait for the state
government outcome. Most of those
schools did so on the basis of passing
on an interim wage increase. Carey
Baptist Grammar School, Billanook
College and Westbourne Grammar all
postponed bargaining on this basis.
Other schools already at the
bargaining table, such as St Mary’s
Coptic Orthodox College and Plenty
Valley International Montessori
School have also put bargaining
meetings on hold awaiting the
government outcome. While it
appeared last year that the state school
deal may have been finalised early
this year, it now seems the wait may
be longer. We know the AEU is looking
to commence protected action and
that intensification of workload is a
significant issue for their members, like
ours. For our sector, this means we will
have a big influx of bargaining once
results are known. That said, there is
still plenty of bargaining going ahead.
Of the Agreements approved in
2016, a snapshot of a few important
conditions shows the following: 7 out
of 12 Agreements make provision for
the establishment of a consultative
committee, 6 of the 12 make provision
for Family Violence Leave and 6
regulate face-to-face hours. Bacchus
Marsh Grammar, Eltham College and
Lauriston Girls’ School provide all
three conditions.
In 2017, the IEU will continue to
support members in bargaining for
as many favourable conditions as
possible. Managing workload continues
to be often the most pressing concern
for all staff in schools. Provision for
a consultative committee where
workload can be discussed and
practical measures implemented,
together with expressed limits on faceto-face hours are two of the best ways
Enterprise Agreements can be used
to assist with this perennial problem.
Allowing staff to access paid Family
Violence Leave reflects the values
of the school and commitment to
supporting staff wellbeing in difficult
circumstances.
Of course, there are many other
conditions that are very important
to members, salary increases being
the one that often tops the list. The
key issue in 2017 will be maintaining
margins above state rates.
Tasmania
R
Negotiations are underway at:
elatively speaking, it was a big year
for bargaining in Tasmania, with 10
Agreements approved in the course of
2016. This included both the General Staff
Agreement and Teachers’ Agreement for
Christian Schools Tasmania, comprising
Calvin Christian School, Channel
Christian School, Emmanuel Christian
School and Northern Christian School.
Of the 6 Teachers’ Agreements
negotiated in 2016, five of those contained
regulation of contact hours, with the
CST Agreement being the exception. The
Hutchins School and Tarremah Steiner
School made provision for a consultative
committee or process of consultation.
Eight of the 10 Agreements provide
domestic violence leave, either as a standalone entitlement or as exceptional
circumstances leave.
A review also indicates that one of
our main areas to focus on in Tasmanian
bargaining is the quantum of redundancy
payments. Seven of 10 Agreements rely
on the NES to set redundancy payments,
meaning after 10 years or more of service,
the payment is reduced from 16 weeks
to 12 weeks. This represents a significant
reduction from the previous Tasmanian
Teachers’ Award, which provided 22
weeks salary after 10 years of service and
24 weeks after 11 years of service.
The Hutchins School is to be
congratulated for providing for a
consultative committee, domestic violence
leave, regulation of contact hours and a
superior redundancy pay scale.
The top of the automatic scale of
progression for teachers in Tasmania
is generally set with reference to
Band 1 Level 12 of the state government
structure, which sits above the
automatic progression scale. CPI is also
used to set minimum wage increases.
The IEU will bargain to achieve optimal
rates for teachers, particularly for those
at the top of the automatic scale. General
staff wage increases must also be a
priority in bargaining.
The year ahead will have plenty of
challenges but also great opportunities for
building improvements into Agreements.
We expect approval for Agreements at
Plenty Valley Christian College, Korowa Girls’
School, Ballarat and Clarendon College, and
Lowther Hall Anglican Grammar.
Ballarat Christian College
Beaconhills College General Staff
Cathedral College
Cobram Anglican Grammar
Eltham College
Flinders Christian Community
College
Freshwater Creek Steiner School
Girton Grammar
Ilim College
The King David School
Kingswood College
Melbourne Montessori School
Northside Christian College
Preshil
Southern Cross Grammar
St John’s College
St Michael’s Collegiate
St Michael’s Grammar School
St Paul’s Anglican Grammar
School
The Geelong College
The Knox School
Stop Gendered Violence at Work
Conference
T
he women’s team at
the Victorian Trades
Hall Council (VTHC)
put together a program of
events in the week leading
up to International Women’s
Day on 8 March to celebrate
the collective achievement of
working women, past, present
and future – WRAW (Women’s
Rights at Work) Festival.
The IEU Feminist Book
Club launched the WRAW
Festival and you can read
about this fabulous evening
in this edition of The Point.
The second event in the
festival calendar was the Stop
Gendered Violence at Work
conference held at Trades Hall
in Carlton.
Conference delegates
included union organisers,
members, officials and
representatives from
community and grass roots
organisations. The conference
came about in response to
the VTHC Stop Gendered
Violence at Work report which
was produced at the end of
2016 after consultation with
Victorian working women
regarding their experience at
work, a conversation which
became known as a WRAW
chat. A common theme arising
was the extent to which
cultures of sexism and gender
inequality were impacting on
women’s safety and health at
work. It became clear that in
many instances the treatment
the women were experiencing
was a form of violence.
This Conference – the next
step in raising awareness
about the issue of violence
against women at work and
promoting action to eliminate
this – heard speakers
including The Honourable
Nathalie Hutchins, Minister
for Industrial Relations,
Aboriginal Affairs and Local
Government, Patty Kinnersly
from Our Watch and Angela
Jolic from WorkSafe.
The report and conference
recommend a number of key
actions that need to take place
in order to stop gendered
violence in the workplace. The
IEU is committed to working
towards this in all Catholic
and independent schools.
Would you like to organise a
WRAW Chat with the women
in your school to find out their
experience? We can help you
do this so check our website
for details or call the IEU and
ask to speak to your Organiser
for more information.
Would you like to find out
more about how this issue
can be tackled through Health
and Safety legislation? Sign
up for our OHS webinar Stop
Gendered Violence at Work.
Check our website for details.
7
March 2017 THE POINT
Bacchus Marsh
gets the tick
The recently approved Bacchus Marsh Grammar
Agreement has been a while in the making, but good
things do come to those that wait.
T
he Agreement, supported almost
unanimously by a significant
vote of staff, is a great outcome
and offers improvements for all staff
covered. It reflects the great work put in
over a long time by both the school and
the Enterprise Bargaining Committee.
Improvements build on an already
solid set of conditions and entitlements,
and include:
teacher salaries that maintain a
premium on Victorian government
and Catholic sector rates
rates of payment and an articulated
process for the appointment of both
POLs and ‘Senior’ and ‘Executive’
teachers
an expanded classification structure
for School Support Staff providing
more classification levels
increased leave entitlements,
including an additional week of leave
for School Support Staff not entitled to
school holidays, paid compassionate
leave of five days, paid emergency
services leave of three days, paid
examination and assessment leave
of up to two days, and access to paid
family violence leave
increased camp allowance for
attendance at overnight camps
an articulated consultative process
inclusion of a range of provisions
regarding obligations relating to OHS,
Child safety and anti-discrimination.
Thanks to the Enterprise Bargaining
Committee and all the IEU members
at Bacchus Marsh Grammar for their
support in achieving a significant
outcome for all staff.
New School seeks
to undercut Teachers’
Award conditions
T
eachers delivering VCAL
to disadvantaged students
at a new school run by
Melbourne City Mission have
joined the IEU and we are now
seeking an Enterprise Agreement
to cover their pay and conditions.
The teachers at the new Hester
Hornbrook Academy had been
provided with individual contracts
that did not even meet basic
Award standards. Most teachers
did the right thing and did not
sign the contracts before getting
advice from the IEU – we wish all
our members took this approach!
Some of the basic Award
conditions missing from the
contracts include school holidays
and any teachers’ pay scale,
except a base dollar figure.
Nothing about weekly teaching
hours, due process, notice periods
or consultation. Some standards
were included for Personal Leave
(15 days per year) and Long
Service Leave (4 months after
10 years) – but no allowances,
less than Award notice periods,
and minimum redundancy
entitlements.
The contracts also included
extreme clauses regarding not
referring clients to competitors
and privacy provisions.
The employer could require a
teacher to attend any medical
examination of the employer’s
choice. It included very broad
reasons for summary dismissal
with any dispute about the
contract to be decided by the CEO
of Melbourne City Mission!
The IEU has detailed the failings
of these contracts to Melbourne
City Mission management and
asked how they could possibly
fit the organisation’s values and
‘mission’. Our teacher members
are deeply committed to their
students but should not be
expected to accept contracts that
don’t even meet the basic Modern
Award entitlements for Teachers.
We have met with MCM and
proposed a streamlined process
for negotiating a fair Enterprise
Agreement. Currently we are
awaiting a response.
Negotiating an Enterprise
Agreement at Hester Hornbrook
Academy will be an important
precedent in the private
education providers’ space.
Congratulations to Hester
Hornbrook teachers for joining
the IEU and taking a stand on
these issues.
Left to right: Justin Cooper, Rachel McMahon, Michael Love, Wendy Green, Leanne Ward and
Luke Robertson. Absent: Rachel Davidson, Leonie Brown
Pre-natal leave
One of the components of the ACTU’s application to
include family-friendly provisions in Modern Awards
is the inclusion of paid pre-natal leave.
T
he application seeks a
clause that will provide
15.2 hours of paid
leave for pre-natal, fertility
treatment, surrogacy, preadoption or permanent care
order appointments. The
employee is required to give
reasonable notice and to
provide evidence if required.
The leave can also be accessed
by an employee who is the
spouse or partner of the
person attending the relevant
appointment.
The benefit of identifying
pre-natal leave as a standalone entitlement is that
it avoids confusion about
the use of personal leave
and provides support to
families at times where
appointments are an
essential part of the process
of bringing children into a
family – whether by birth,
adoption or court order. It is
our experience that many
employers will allow an
employee on an ad hoc basis
to attend appointments
by accessing personal
leave. Alternatively, some
Enterprise Agreements make
provision for personal leave
to be used for pre-natal
appointments. While this
is clearly beneficial, it does
result in a reduction in leave
that is intended to cover
illness or to allow for care
of family members.
The application
seeks a clause
that will provide
15.2 hours of
paid leave
In the absence of an
employer prepared to
allow personal leave to be
used on an ad hoc basis,
or via provision in an
Agreement, there is currently
no entitlement to paid
leave to attend pre-natal
appointments. Pregnancy is
not an illness and attending
routine appointments does
not attract the prerequisites
for using personal leave.
In situations of adoption or
preparing for a permanent
care order, it is not possible
to say personal leave is
applicable.
The result is employees
are required to attend
appointments on unpaid
leave thus losing income
at a time when every cent
counts. In some situations,
this may be a disincentive to
accessing the best medical
care during pregnancy. For
staff in schools, it is not
always possible to schedule
appointments out of school
hours or in holidays.
To support the ACTU’s
application, the IEU will
seek to replicate this clause
in Enterprise Agreements
so that it is clear that an
employee may take paid leave
to attend appointments and
that this is not to be deducted
from personal leave. This will
be a new claim, but one that
forms part of the suite of
claims designed to support
families and, in particular,
working women.
8
THE POINT March 2017
REP PROFILE
Jane Davies
Jane Davies has just taken over
as the new rep at Immaculate
Heart of Mary Catholic School
Lenah Valley in the foothills of
Mt Wellington in Tasmania.
S
he has worked in Catholic education for her
entire teaching career, starting at St Paul’s
Bridgewater, and has been a Union member
for about 20 years, but this is the first time she
has taken on the role of rep. Jane volunteered for
the job because she recognises the importance of
having the Union represented in the workplace,
and with the previous rep deciding to take a break,
thought she’d step up and give it a bash!
She says ‘I’m not sure what challenges I will
face, as most members are very responsive
to union matters. The challenge may be
recruiting new members, but I’m sure there
are some staff at the site who may like to take
advantage of the special deals we can access as
members of the Union!’.
‘I hope to be a valuable source of information
and support for the staff at my school, not just
the members and I hope to be able to inform our
members of issues that may affect them.’
Outside of teaching, Jane is a self-described
netball mum, watching her daughters play
and helping out around the club. As she says
‘Life is busy but also very enjoyable with two
teenage daughters!’, so it’s great that she has
found the time to devote to representing
members at her workplace.
Welcome Jane!
Save The Date
The annual IEU/AEU conference for graduate
teachers in their first three years of teaching
will take place on:
Friday 19 May at the
AEU offices in Abbotsford.
The conference will feature two keynote
addresses: Andrew Fuller (andrewfuller.com.au)
on guerrilla tactics for teachers and common
behavioural problems, and Neil Selwyn on
technology in education.
The day will also feature several parallel
workshops on developing thinking skills,
supporting ASD students, behaviour management
and VIT registration, as well as a panel of recent
graduates who will share their own experiences
and provide tips for surviving the busy first years
of teaching.
Ticket prices remain unchanged from 2016: $100
for students, $150 for graduate members, $350 for
non-members. Registrations will soon open at
tln.org.au/earlycareerconf
It pays to check, it pays to ask,
it pays to belong!
Many people say ‘I can’t afford to join the Union.’ While there is a cost with
membership, often this can be minimised by the use of some of the great benefits
that union membership can get you.
F
or example, using the member
benefit page (www.ieuvictas.
org.au/membership/memberadvantage/), members can access a 5%
discount on their groceries, which over
a year could easily save you $500. In
some cases this is less than the cost of
the membership itself!
It can also pay to be a member of
the Union when something has gone
wrong with your pay. Often a staff
member can be told that everything
has been done properly and that they
have been paid correctly when the
support of the IEU can check to see if
this is truly the case.
A couple of recent examples have
highlighted that it pays to have the IEU
as a support to investigate an issue on
your behalf.
One of our members received less
pay for her annual leave than she had
received in her regular pay throughout
the year. When she queried this, she
was given an explanation and told that
everything had been done correctly.
At this time, she contacted the IEU for
advice and wrote to her school again
asking for clarification on the smaller
payment. She was again told that all
was as it should be. Still not happy, the
member’s local IEU Organiser wrote
to the school on her behalf, asking for
a more detailed explanation of her
annual leave payment. This led to the
discovery of a calculation error and our
member was back-paid the outstanding
amount. At the end of this issue our
member commented ‘I never thought
I’d actually have to turn to the Union
for assistance and I can truly say that I
felt very supported and that this matter
was handled delicately and in a manner
which wasn’t aggressive in its approach.’
Another member approached their
local IEU Organiser as their hours had
been reduced from the previous year.
When looking at contract information,
it became evident that our member
had been incorrectly classified when
they started at their school. Without
advice from the IEU, this error would
probably never have been discovered.
Our member is now waiting on back
pay because of the initial error that
had been made.
...members can access
a 5% discount on their
groceries, which over
a year could easily
save you $500
Sometimes it is difficult to raise
an issue and see it through to a
conclusion without a little bit of extra
support and this is one of the key
benefits of membership of the IEU.
While you may not need our
individual assistance, it is always great
to know it is there for you!
Consultation works
Election time for IEU Reps in schools is also very often the time sub-branches
choose to elect new representatives for the Consultative Committee.
T
he default structure of the
Victorian Catholic committee
is the principal and two of their
nominees, two IEU nominees and one
staff nominee elected by and from
the total staff. In Tasmanian Catholic
schools, the default is the principal,
the principal nominee, two Union
nominees and one staff nominee.
IEU must be notified if schools propose
an alternative structure.
Consultative Committees do a stack
of vital work in schools, primarily
around class sizes, scheduled class time,
teacher and possibly ES workload and
Positions of Leadership (POLs).
The Agreement spells out the
role of the Consultative Committee
in detail, but, in short, when a
Consultative Committee is working
well, staff and school leadership work
together to find the best solutions for
the many challenges that need to be
met in our schools.
Workload is one area where the
Consultative Committee can make
a difference.
Some schools have come up with
much better ways to manage ParentTeacher nights, after-school meetings,
report writing and yard duties.
The Consultative Committee
provides an opportunity for staff to
identify where the real pressure points
in workload are and to talk with school
leadership about finding ways to deal
with these times.
The Consultative Committee also
makes recommendations to the
Andrew McKenzie-McHarg and Lisa Mason
IEU nominees Consultative Committee, Catholic College Wodonga.
principal around class sizes and POLs.
Schools leadership can’t just decide
what the POL structure will be, how the
appointments will be made and the
tenure of the positions. These are all
subject to consultation.
In Tasmania, the Consultative
Committee is also empowered to make
recommendations about days and
hours of work.
The Point will continue to highlight
the work of the Consultative
Committee but, for the time being,
as sub-branches elect new IEU Reps
this year, don’t forget to also elect
your IEU and staff reps for your
Consultative Committee. They can
really make a difference.
The IEU publication Democracy
at Work, which is available on our
website, is a great resource for
members to use in order to get
the most out of their Consultative
Committee.
9
March 2017 THE POINT
NOW YOU’RE A TEACHER:
Helping you thrive
in your first year
Congratulations on entering the teaching profession.
The initial years of a teacher’s career can be challenging
but are also highly rewarding.
W
ith so many new experiences
there will be times when
the opportunity to access
support and advice will be vital and so,
whether you are working in the Catholic
or independent sector, even as a CRT,
the IEU is here to help you navigate any
difficulties, protect your rights to a safe
and fair work environment and develop
your skills as an educator.
To get started, here is a useful
checklist to help you transition into your
first teaching job:
1 Stay connected
Convert your student membership
with the IEU to a graduate membership
for just over $4 per week. Graduate
Teacher membership gives you access to
quality PD, individual advice and support,
specialised resources, and representation
in workplace bargaining and other
industry bodies. Make sure that you have
updated your contact details, especially
your new school email address, so that
you can stay in the loop.
5
Understand your work
arrangement
Do you clearly understand your faceto-face teaching hours and days? In many
workplaces Graduate Teachers have a
reduced load to assist in providing them
with increased planning and preparation
time away from the classroom; so get
advice about what arrangements are in
place at your workplace. Extra-curricular
obligations are often an area of great
uncertainty for new teachers, so make
sure that you ask so that you understand
what’s expected of you and so that you can
fulfil your professional obligations. You
will find that colleagues are very willing
to help you – so please make sure that you
are seeking assistance from them as you
need. Remember they were all beginning
teachers at some point.
2 Contract Advice
Ideally before you sign a contract you
would get advice from your Union so that
you fully understand it. Your contract is
a legally binding document outlining
some of your conditions of employment,
such as salary. It’s always wise to get
advice on a new contract, and if you have
been offered a fixed-term contract it is
particularly important that you get some
advice to ensure that there are only valid
reasons for your work not being ongoing.
3 Know your Reps
Get in touch with the IEU sub-branch
rep at your workplace and know who
the local Occupational Health and
Safety Rep is. These reps can help you
find your feet in your new setting
and ensure that the proper support
arrangements are in place.
4 Your induction program
Most schools assign a mentor to new
staff to give support and assistance in a
new workplace; knowing where to find
things and how to find out internal
procedures will help you in these first
few weeks and months. It’s important
that you are familiar with policies that
deal with matters such as discipline
and behaviour management, reporting
hazards, communication with parents
and students, first aid, and using social
media. If you are doing CRT work
in a school, it may be useful to ask
whether there is someone other than
a principal, deputy or Daily Organiser
(who are often incredibly busy and
hard to access during the day) who
might be able to be a mentor/contact
point for you.
6
Professional Development
opportunities
The IEU offers a range of free and low
cost PD including the Early Career Teachers
Conference (Friday 19 May) and PD in the
Pub. The PD in the Pub sessions occur at a
range of locations around urban and regional
centres and are a great place to access quality
presenters as well as catch up with other
graduates working and living in your area
(see page 2). The Teacher Learning Network
(www.tln.org.au) also offers a range of
quality programs and other resources,
with a focus on online and ‘on-demand’ PD
modules which allow you to target PD to your
individual needs.
7 VIT Requirements
Make sure that you register for Victorian
Institute of Teaching (VIT) Provisionally
Registered Teacher (PRT) Information
Sessions which are designed to help you
understand the specific requirements of
the process for moving from provisional to
a fully registered teacher. IEU publications
such as The Point and other communications
try to keep you up to date with any changes
to VIT processes, so IEU membership helps
you stay connected with this.
Membership with the IEU Victoria
Tasmania means that you have access
to extra support and benefits on offer by
joining with over 20,000 of your colleagues
who are also IEU members. We hope that
your first year is a positive one, but we
encourage you to contact us if you have
any questions about your work, as we are
here to help. Once again, welcome to the
profession – we hope you have a very long
and rewarding career!
A New Year's wish:
100% Union Membership
UNION PRESIDENT
MARK WILLIAMS
I
would like to take this opportunity
to welcome new staff to our
independent and Catholic schools
across both Tasmania and Victoria.
I’d particularly like to welcome those
who have recently graduated from
University life and who are now
in transition to school life! Many
of you have converted to financial
membership of the Union. You have
joined a committed group of educators
who are like-minded in defending
the rights of all education workers in
non-government schools, colleges,
kindergartens and other institutions,
and who value fairness and justice for
all who work in our industry.
Just as we are strong in defending
your industrial rights, whether you
be a school principal, teacher or
support staff, we will also continue
to provide knowledge and skills–
based training and development
in all areas of your professional life
and continue to advocate on your
behalf in the many government
Welcome back! I hope everyone’s year has started
smoothly and that you have great successes in your
various roles in education throughout the school year.
and education authority forums we
represent you on both locally and
nationally.
To our Union reps in schools
– another big welcome – and
congratulations on your election
as IEU Rep. You are crucial to the
growth of our Union in your school.
The fact that you volunteer in
addition to your teaching or nonteaching role is symbolic of your
commitment to Union, to fairness
and to justice. Your role is crucial
in being a line of communication
between the Union office and the
IEU members at your workplace.
For reps in Victorian Catholic
schools I say this because, even
though our Union negotiating team
have already met with the CECV
representatives some 17 times before
writing, serious negotiations over
a new industrial Agreement are
beginning to increase momentum,
and I’m certain your feedback will be
sought in the coming months.
Apart from bargaining around
Agreements, both in the Catholic
systems and in individual
independent schools, one key
role of the rep that we cannot
forget is, not only the recruitment
of teachers, but the signing up
of the many Education Support
personnel in schools who also need
to be protected. There are still too
many Education Support staff and
teachers on short-term contracts.
This needs to be challenged and will
be. It is gratifying that in Victoria,
the CECV agrees that we must
address the high levels of insecure
employment.
I look forward to the challenges
ahead, confident that we will
organise and achieve great things
together. Please don’t forget
that what we will work hard
for and achieve will benefit all
– members and (unfortunately)
non-members… Remember to ask:
‘Are you with us?’
10
THE POINT March 2017
Tas ES Classification
Implementation of New Classification structure and pay rates for
Tasmanian Catholic School Support Employees
A
n amendment to the current
Tasmanian Catholic Single
Enterprise Agreement 2015
(TCESEA 2015) was ratified by the Fair
Work Commission on 16 January this year,
significantly improving the classification
structure for Tasmanian Catholic School
Support Staff. The IEU Victoria Tasmania
negotiated the new structure, which
replaces 4 separate structures covering
different occupational groups e.g Clerical
Administration, Teacher Assistants,
Lab, Library, ICT, Utility staff; as well as
Wellbeing employees such as Counsellors,
who had not previously been classified.
Translation to the new
structure
The new structure takes effect on
1 March this year. On that date each
member of staff should be translated
onto the new structure at the nearest
salary point at or above their current
rate of pay. Then within 10 weeks of this
date (by 10 May) the employer is required
to give each School Support employee a
letter confirming the new level at which
their position has been assessed in
accordance with the new role descriptors
in the structure.
While many current roles will probably
match the new descriptors at the level
they translate to, some members, for
example, may be undertaking roles that
should now be classified at a higher level.
There are also a number of translation
arrangements that apply to different
staff groups. If the employer believes
that the new level that the employee has
automatically translated to is higher than
where their current duties would sit, the
employee will remain on the new level at
the step they have translated to, but will
not increment up the next step on 1 May.
No employee will receive less salary than
they currently receive. They will continue
to receive the general percentage
increases that apply to all salaries, but
will need to be reclassified if their duties
change and they believe they correspond
to the new level descriptors. Members
should contact the IEU if they believe this
will apply to them.
1 May Automatic
Increment Increase
From the first full pay period after 1
May this year, all full-time current staff
will also automatically go up to the
next pay step of their new level, unless
they are already on the top step, and
so on from May each year after this. A
part-time current staff-member will
receive the incremental increase if he or
she has:
completed .45 FTE or more of
experience (calculated in accordance
with clause 62.7 of the current
Agreement); or
has not received an incremental
increase for the past two years of
continuous service.
This will mean that almost all employees
should receive an incremental increase
in May.
Improvements to
classification include:
improved salary rates and access
to improved career paths for each
occupational strand of employee
– Admin, Teaching Assistants,
Lab, Library, ICT, Utility staff, and
Wellbeing
improved parity of salaries with
government school employees
doing the same job for Admin, Lab,
Library, ICT, TAs and Wellbeing
employees
classification levels for each
occupational strand which detail
typical capabilities, roles and
duties. Qualifications specified are
those that are a minimum one that
one would need and are consistent
with the government structure
expanded descriptions of clerical
admin duties and salaries to
incorporate the broader range of roles
undertaken in schools and by CEO
office staff
significant improvement in the
classification and salaries of
Utility staff
a new managerial rate for Lab
and ICT employees to bring them
in line with Librarians in Charge.
Librarians in Charge are currently
paid an allowance which is on top
of their base salary – whether that
is Level 5 or 12. Now the level stands
in its own right. This level is not in
government schools
Lab, ICT and Library staff are
classified according to the duties
they do, which removes the
current problem of employees
being paid very differently for
doing the same job
increased number of annual
incremental steps
Teacher Assistants now have
a classification structure with
annual increments taking them
to the same rate as government
employees
The Report into Fixed-term Employment in Victorian Catholic Schools
is the published outcome of three years of discussion, work, data, and
co-operation between the IEU and the CECV.
I
that the recommendations made
in this Report are implemented
by Catholic schools.
I am on a fixed-term contract
but I don’t want to raise the
issue with my employer.
Why is the issue important?
The IEU will assist all
members with advice about
their contracts, and act on their
behalf in raising the issue with
their employer. A key positive
outcome of the CECV report
is that it clearly outlines the
obligations on employers to
understand the MEA, and apply
the provisions for fixed-term
employment correctly.
If you are fixed-term, you don’t
know from year to year whether
you actually have a job. Imagine
the stress this places on you
psychologically and financially.
You can’t plan for the future, and
you are also more likely to be
fearful about expressing your
workplace rights. If you are a
Learning Support Officer (teacher
aide) or a graduate teacher you are
more likely to be on a fixed-term
contract. If you work in a primary
school you are twice as likely to be
on a fixed-term contract. Some of
these contracts may be valid, such
as parental leave or long service
replacement, but many are not.
salary scale for Wellbeing employees.
e.g. Counsellors
improved calculation of a year’s
full-time service for the purpose of
incremental progression
procedures and employee rights in
respect to Teacher Assistant transfers
clarification of student supervision
by Teacher Assistants and required
pay level.
Teacher Assistants –
supervision of students
From 1 March this year, all Teaching
Assistants who are required to
supervise small groups of students,
including study group or in a small
group setting, or who are performing
yard duty must be moved from new
step 2.3 to step 2.4 of the classification
and pay scale (that is from FTE
$54,690 to $56,057). From 2018 any
TA supervising must be paid on new
level step 2.5 regardless of years of
experience.
If supervising students, the employer
must ensure that the TA is adequately
trained in student control/behaviour
management and protective handling
(note that the Teacher Assistant must
be paid for the training). If a TA is
performing yard duty, it is required that
there are sufficient teachers also rostered
to perform yard duty such that a Teacher
Assistant has ready access to a teacher in
the event that assistance is required.
This year, all other Teaching
Assistants will receive an incremental
increase in May along with other
support staff if they meet the
experience criteria outlined.
Learning Support
and contracts
Fixed-Term Report
t is a result of the commitment
contained in the current
MEA to implement proactive
processes with the Union
to ensure that fixed-term
employment is only used for valid
reasons, as already prescribed.
The report was sent to all
schools at the start of the year,
and the message from the
Executive Director, Stephen Elder,
is that this is a priority issue.
The report recommends that all
schools review staff currently on
fixed-term contracts.
The IEU has already assisted a
number of members who were
on rolling fixed-term contracts to
be made ongoing. We understand
that some schools have also
taken steps to give many staff
employment security. We will
continue to proactively ensure
a first-time classification structure and
Snapshot
21%
of contracts in Victorian
Catholic schools are
fixed-term
The Education and Training
industry average is 15%
The national average across
all industries is 4%
L
ast year at Aquinas College
Ringwood the IEU invited
all Education Support staff
to discuss bargaining issues
such as ES pay, ES classification,
breaks and ensuring
consultative processes address
support staff issues.
However, the hot issue
that came up was fixed-term
contracts – particularly in
Learning Support where it
seemed most staff only had
fixed-term employment.
Some of these staff had even
received a fixed-term contract
to sign during the school
holidays after previously
having been ongoing.
We communicated to staff
that the IEU would pursue the
issue, but Learning Support
Officers needed to join the
union first – we can only act
for members.
Our great rep at Aquinas,
Chris Timmerman, followed
up and signed up most of
Learning Support as IEU
members. We then wrote to
the principal setting out the
case for ongoing contracts
and followed that up with
a meeting. We found there
were 14 learning support staff
on fixed-term contracts. We
were initially successful in
converting 8 staff to ongoing
contracts and a further 3 staff
after further correspondence
– we hope for more this year.
Just because funding for
Learning Support varies from
year to year does NOT mean
ES staff have to be on fixedterm contracts.
Technically, fixed-term
staff have no job at the end
of their contract. If you
know people on fixed-term
who may have a case for
ongoing secure employment
– please give them an IEU
membership form!
11
March 2017 THE POINT
The Project: Tracey Spiel
speaks to The Point
Well, here I am on the other
side of the fence. Some of
the laboratory technicians
out there will remember me
and some of my old buddies
at Kingswood College will
remember me too.
I
have been involved in the
independent sector here in Victoria
for well over 20 years as a laboratory
technician and workplace union rep,
and in the last 12 months I have worked
with Education Support Staff (ES staff) in
government schools. From late January
I have taken up a new role as Project
Officer for ES staff for the IEU.
I am involved in something we have
called ‘The Project’ – yes I know; it is
already taken – but the name has stuck.
My new role is to work with our
Organisers and IEU school communities to
increase the profile of ES staff, to increase
the involvement of ES staff in the Union,
and to increase our membership base in
Education Support.
What has been abundantly clear for
a long time is that ES staff face unique
circumstances in schools for a whole
range of reasons.
Our roles are diverse, often difficult
and frequently stressful as we manage a
great variety of demands. I think I speak
for most Education Support Staff when
I say that our roles are generally very
rewarding and that we are an integral
part of the education of our children.
Central to my role is to increase the
membership amongst ES staff. This is
the only way that we can ensure that
there are better outcomes for ES staff in
negotiations about terms and conditions
and increased recognition and respect for
the important contributions we make to
the life of every school.
ES staff confront some of the same
issues as teaching staff but there are some
issues which effect ES staff particularly.
Some of the main issues are:
Fixed-Term Contracts which get
rolled over time after time – ensuring
that people have no job security and
are often unable to challenge work
practices as their contract may not be
renewed.
Many ES staff are incorrectly classified
and that almost always means a lower
pay than is reasonable to expect.
Workload issues, as more and more
duties and roles are pushed onto nonteaching staff who feel they have no
voice to raise in objection.
Over the course of the year I will be
getting in touch with Education Support
staff to invite you to join the IEU family.
If you have any questions or want to touch
base, please feel free to get in touch by
email: [email protected]
Having the Conversation with Education Support Staff
A
s always, the best way to recruit
new members, whether teaching or
non-teaching staff, is by engaging in
conversation with non-member colleagues
about the benefits of union membership. The
issues faced by ES can be different from those
of teachers, but union membership can assist
with all of them.
Issues for ES staff range around
unacceptable periods of fixed-term contracts
and incorrect classification and wages.
Workload is another issue, as the massive
and rapid change in roles that has changed
the face of the job, sometimes beyond
recognition. Some employers also don’t mind
increasing responsibilities and duties but
with no pay increases.
These are just some of the issues for ES
staff that can help you start the conversation
around union membership. There are also
a number of common objections to joining,
but, with some thought, and keeping in mind
some of the particular issues and problems
facing ES staff, you can have a chat that
everyone will be pretty comfortable with.
Common Objections
I can’t afford it:
For many ES staff this is a really big issue,
but as membership fees are on a sliding
scale, all staff should find the fees affordable.
The Union has a partnership with
Member Advantage who offer retail
discounts such as saving 5% off your grocery
bill each week, as well as many other
discounts, and for most ES staff this saving
will outstrip the annual membership fee.
Union Shopper is another big saver - for big
ticket items like cars and whitegoods, they
guarantee they will get you the best price.
Finally, the fees are tax deductible. If
members take advantage of all of these
benefits they could be better off than they
are now.
I don’t want to rock the boat:
ES staff are a loyal and caring bunch,
and there is a misconception that joining
the Union may indicate unhappiness
Education Support Staff Have Issues With
• Fixed-Term Contracts • Classification Issues • Workload
If this is you or you know someone who is struggling with these issues, please contact
our Education Support Project Officer Tracey Spiel [email protected]
or disloyalty. Our Union is part of nongovernment schools. We work together
with members to improve where they work.
This is about working cooperatively, not
confrontationally, to achieve better outcomes.
The Union always consults members on how
they would like to handle situations.
alter the industrial landscape in workplaces.
Where there is a strong Union presence,
employees can have a strong voice to ensure
change is fair and equitable. There is also a
broader view about collectively - through
union membership - getting a better deal for
all ES staff in the independent sector.
What’s in it for me?
I get the benefits anyway:
The Union represents members in all sorts
of situations throughout their employment
- negotiating better outcomes, support in
difficult meetings, OHS, providing advice on
workplace issues, and much more. You have
an expert in your corner!
I have a short-term contract –
what’s the point?
People on short-term contracts often
need our help even more. Contracts can
be complicated matters, and most people
struggle to unravel all the implications.
The IEU has a great deal of experience with
contracts and can assist with any issues.
We don’t need a union here:
In any workplace there will be change.
Workplaces are dynamic and diverse places
where people, policy and personalities can
and do change over time. There are many
examples of organisational change which
The Union members at your school who
pay their fees are co-workers who join
together collectively to negotiate for a better
workplace. Most people see that by taking
advantage of those improved terms and
conditions, they should be contributing
to them, but those who don’t can find
themselves on their own when a situation
where industrial assistance is needed or
there is bullying or harassment. Conversely
- the great thing about having members at
your school is that they are can back you in a
difficult situation – collective strength helps.
These conversations are not always easy,
but do remember you are a member and
we are here to help. Get in touch with your
Organiser or Tracey Spiel, our IEU ES Project
Officer, if you would like assistance in
approaching a colleague or to talk through
specific issues at your school in relation to
recruiting.
Remember there is strength in unity!
Get classified!
D
espite a much improved
classification structure
in the Victorian MEA for
Education Support staff, there are
still many ES classified at Level 1
who shouldn’t be there, including
integration aides (LSOs).
Level 1 is relevant if the work
performed is straightforward,
well-defined, and requires
supervision. It requires no prior
experience or qualifications.
Level 2 involves more complexity,
the exercise of judgement and
problem solving, and limited
supervision.
So, how do you demonstrate
you should be a Level 2 ES?
Consider this. In your everyday
work, do you assist by providing
an individualised approach
and intervention strategies for
student learning? Does your role
require you to provide specialist
assistance in specific learning
areas, including languages,
technology and the arts? Do
your duties include assisting
in identifying and monitoring
the learning needs of students,
as well as the evaluation and
reporting of student education
programs? If you answered
yes, you probably should, at a
minimum, be classified as Level 2.
A regular furphy that
prevents many ES from seeking
reclassification is being told
their hours would have to be
cut as there wouldn’t be the
funds to cover their wage rise.
So, not wanting to rock the
boat, particularly if on a fixedterm contract, the question
does not get asked.
Funding provided to schools
for students with disabilities
rarely covers the level of
support needed, especially
for students with high
needs, so it is commonplace
for schools to ‘top up’ these
funds from other sources in
the school budget in order
that the student and class
teacher receive the greatest
support possible. Schools have
to and always will access
funding from other sources
for integration students, so
the notion that ES staff are
totally reliant on the funding
is not accurate and is not a
valid reason to not pay the
staff what they are entitled to
under the Agreement.
Principals, deputy principals
and teachers would not accept
being paid less than they
are worth according to the
Agreement, so why should ES?
Contact your IEU Organiser
and we can provide you
with the support, advice, and
representation if needed.
12
THE POINT March 2017
OHS Consultation –
Demand your rights
Workers and their bosses are
meant to talk about how to stop
people getting hurt at work. It’s
been like that for a very long
time, but, sadly it often doesn’t
work like that, it often goes
more like – I’m the boss, I decide
and then you get told, or, you
find out later.
C
onsultation between employers and
their employees about occupational
health and safety matters is the
foundation of preventing injury, illness
and disease at work. It is not aspirational,
it’s not something we’d like to do if we had
time, it’s the law, it must be done, and, it is
a key objective of the Occupational Health
and Safety Act. The promotion of greater
involvement and co-operation between
employers and employees on health and
safety matters is clearly outlined in the
principles of the Act.
Two principles state this very clearly:
employers and employees should
exchange information and ideas about
risks to health and safety, and measures
that can be taken to eliminate or reduce
those risks, and
employees are entitled, and should be
encouraged, to be represented in relation
to health and safety issues. That means
electing workplace occupational health
and safety representatives (HSRs).
Have you returned to work this year only
to find the staff room being renovated,
the staff car park being dug up causing
clouds of dust and debris to enter
classrooms, or perhaps a change to how
your work is to be performed? Have you
ever wondered how such things could
happen and no-one really knows who
or how the decision was made? These
are just a few examples of the many
organisational decisions and actions
that may have occupational health and
safety consequences for you and your
fellow workers, not to mention how such
decisions may impact on volunteers,
visitors, contractors and students.
This is why your employer MUST
consult with you when:
identifying or assessing hazards or risks
making decisions on how to control
risks
making decisions about the adequacy
of facilities for employees such as
the size and nature of the staff room,
including the numbers of tables and
chairs and availability of space to
interact with colleagues, access to
tea and coffee facilities, ensuring
appropriate toilet and first aid facilities,
particularly when building works are
occurring
making decisions about procedures
such as how to resolve health and
safety issues, how to consult with
employees about health and safety,
how to provide OHS information and
training, how to monitor the conditions
of the workplace generally, and thus
eliminate not only those risks that
threaten your physical safety but also
undermine mental health, such the
risks of bullying and work-related stress
determining the membership of any
health and safety committee
proposing changes that may affect
your health and safety, particularly
in regard to the workplace itself, any
plant, substances, or things used in the
workplace, the work performed at the
workplace.
Your employer must consult about
health and safety issues with those
affected members of staff, so far as is
reasonably practicable. Your principal
is not expected to do the impossible,
but is expected and required to take a
proactive, forward thinking, sensible
approach to consultation. For instance,
if the staff room is to be renovated in the
first few weeks of term 1, it is reasonable
to expect the employer would engage in
a process of consultation with all affected
staff and the elected health and safety
representative, prior to the end of the
previous school year. When employees
have elected a HSR, the HSR must be
consulted with directly and the employer
commits a breach of the
OHS Act if they fail to consult adequately.
Consulting about health and safety
at work is easy, there are many ways it
can be done and schools need not create
additional structures or impose more
work. There are many existing forums
and meeting times that with discussion
and proactive thinking could be adjusted
to enable greater involvement of HSRs
and employees in the decision-making
process. The first step for IEU members
in schools where there is currently no
elected HSR is to discuss this matter at a
sub-branch meeting. Without an elected
HSR, you are missing out on a vital
opportunity to have greater involvement
about how your workplace operates.
For more information about electing an
OHS Rep at your workplace, please contact
Brian Martin on [email protected]
Should Learning Intention be Teaching Intention?
Recently I visited a Special Development School in the south-eastern suburbs of Melbourne where I had the privilege
of sitting with a fabulous teacher for a couple of hours and just talking with her about her teaching. The school, as
with all SDS schools in Victoria, is for students with intellectual disabilities.
I
won’t go into the detail
other than the students
all have profound learning
difficulties and often multiple
disabilities. Karen (not her real
name) talked about teaching a
14-year-old student with severe
autism, who was non-verbal,
wheelchair-bound and scored
very low on the standard range
of intelligence tests. I was in awe
at the theoretical knowledge
and the practical skills that
Karen brought to this education
encounter. Given the difficulty
the child had in communicating,
Karen had to have extreme
confidence that her teaching
interventions were the best
possible actions for that student
at that time on any given day.
Our language about teaching is
now dominated by the language
of ‘learning intentions’. Much
of the discussion is prompted
by the research of John Hattie. I
am a fan of this research and at
the Teacher Learning Network
we have engaged teachers to
deliver courses about how they
are implementing learning
intentions and Hattie’s concept of
feedback (you can see the list of
courses at www.tln.org.au). But,
increasingly I have been forced to
ask – have we got the language
right? Should we be using the
term ‘teaching intention’?
It could be a subtle but
important shift in the way
we think about our work. As
teachers, we are in control
of what we teach. We make
decisions each day, each session,
each moment, about what and
how to teach. These decisions
are based on our professional
training and on the requirements
of the curriculum that we are
required to observe. We apply
our professional judgement to
the thousands of interactions
we have with students. Only the
teacher and the student see and
know those interactions. The
curriculum writers, the politicians,
the education bureaucrats, the
academics who write wellresearched books, even the school
principal, are not witnesses to
those interactions. We are charged
with making the best decision in
that moment – that is what we
are trained to do.
If we accept the personal
or singular notion of those
interactions, then we should also
accept that the teacher must
make decisions about the best
teaching plan for the group of
students in that place at that time.
This is the teaching intention for
that lesson.
I was in awe at the
theoretical knowledge
and the practical skills
that Karen brought
to this education
encounter.
However, we have absolutely
no control over what students
learn. We cannot make them
learn. Specifically, we cannot
make them learn what we want
them to learn. We cannot make
them pass tests. We can create the
conditions in which we hope that
they will learn what we intend
to teach, but that is all. They may
well learn something completely
different than what we intended
or they may learn something
from another student in the class.
This may be different from our
intention. That does not make our
teaching a failure, or wrong, or
misguided, or less than adequate.
So, we plan our teaching, we
have the education encounter
(or lesson), and then we seek
feedback about what the students
have learned. If you obtain a copy
of the TLN Journal on Feedback (in
member schools in the first week
of March) there are great articles
about how teachers gather this
feedback on student learning.
Feedback from the students
may indicate a gap between
your teaching intention and
their learning. You have to make
a judgement if that gap is OK.
That is a professional judgement
based on your knowledge of, and
relationship with, the student,
and what you set out to achieve
in the education encounter.
It requires you to reflect on
whether you have applied your
professional skills and knowledge
to best effect in that encounter.
This brings me back to the
discussion with Karen at the
SDS. Karen is focused on the
needs of the student, she must
reflect constantly on what she
as the teacher is bringing to that
encounter. Is she providing the
best experience for that student
based on her own experience,
judgement, professional
knowledge and learning? For me,
this is the language of teaching,
compared to the language of
learning. We determine the
purpose and intent of our
teaching based on our judgement,
professional knowledge and
professional skills. This also
implies that as teachers we
must be constantly improving
our knowledge and skills and
engaging in honest collaborative
reflection. If that is the case then
I would argue it is legitimate to
write on the board at the start of
the lesson, ‘Teaching Intention’.
Michael Victory
Teacher Learning Network
13
March 2017 THE POINT
Principal health and
wellbeing under threat
IEU Principals’ Officer, Maureen
Shembrey, reflects on the recent
release of ‘The Australian
Principal Occupational Health,
Safety and Wellbeing Survey
2016’ which has run nationally
every year since 2011 by chief
researcher, Associate Professor
Philip Riley, from Australian
Catholic University.
P
rincipals and deputy principals’ health
and wellbeing in different school
types, levels and size are monitored
along with lifestyle choices such as
exercise and diet, and the professional and
personal social support networks available
to individuals.
The impact of the survey is evidenced
in a variety of ways: in the growth of the
participation rate from 2049 in 2011 to 5247
in 2016, an increase in media coverage
raising awareness of the issues, a growing
interest in replicating the research from a
number of jurisdictions including Ireland,
New Zealand, Canada and the US and,
perhaps the most important direct impact,
being the reaction by the Teachers’ Health
Fund (major sponsor of the research) which
has reduced waiting time for new members
wishing to access psychological services
from 12 to 2 months and added rebates
to tele-psychological services, making
distance from capital cities less of a burden.
In summary, Riley’s research has shown
that the job demands, on average, in
the following areas have remained very
high or increased slightly: quantitative
demands, work pace, emotional demands,
having to hide emotions, average working
hours during term, and work-family
conflict. Those that remained stable
were: sheer quantity of work, not enough
time for teaching and learning and
expectations of the employer. Sources of
stress that increased were: resourcing
needs, and student and parent related
issues, with the largest increases in stress
reported for mental health issues of both
students and staff.
Principals acknowledge that job
resources such as formal leadership
education, job satisfaction, degree to
which individuals can influence their
work, possibilities for development,
variation of work tasks, meaning of work,
commitment to the workplace and level
of self-efficacy have increased, which is a
positive. However, the job demands and
work-family conflict measure indicates
a significant and sustained threat to
participant wellbeing.
In our work which involves talking to
and meeting with principals and system
leaders across Victoria and Tasmania, we
are encouraged by the overwhelming
and long overdue acknowledgement
that we may actually have a problem.
Individuals, networks and systems are
placing Principal Wellbeing at the top
of their priority lists for attention in the
next year or two, highly commendable
and well-intentioned but we fear the
problem is not so much identification but
what to do about it.
On a positive note, we have seen the
establishment of a two-year Principal
Wellbeing Project in the Sandhurst Diocese
which includes the employment of a fulltime designated officer to not only identify
and support principals individually but
also to provide meaningful data to inform
employers and the system as to how
they, too, can work towards alleviating
some of the pressures faced by principals.
Ballarat Diocese has developed, after very
comprehensive consultation with a breadth
of stakeholders, a Principal Wellbeing
Framework that aims to support principals
by incorporating elements of workload
reduction with skill and resilience building
(leadership formation). Its intention is
to achieve immediate actions and gains
ahead of medium and longer term system
changes. Much respect goes to both these
Dioceses for being understanding of the
problems at hand and for being proactive in
their endeavours to do something about it
in a strategic way.
Two underlying issues which will
impact greatly on our systems in the next
five to ten years are the age demographic
of principals currently in the job and the
aspirant principal data. IEU principal
member data alone tells us that the next
five years will see over a third of current
principals reach retirement age. That’s
not to say that some won’t continue
beyond that age but my money is on the
fact that more of these principals, given
the current pressures associated with the
role, may not last the distance and choose
to finish up earlier.
...the job demands and
work-family conflict
measure indicates a
significant and sustained
threat to ... wellbeing
So, if these are the facts, where are the
replacement principals coming from? An
IEU survey of member deputy principals
conducted late last year gave an indication
that just under half of the total group
surveyed responded that they were
aspirant principals. The reasons given for
lack of desire to become a principal were
largely because of the large workload,
complex role and huge responsibilities
associated with being a principal as well as
the perception of lack of support (see page
15 for more). Decreasing societal respect for
principals and the associated increase in
offensive behaviour rates certainly doesn’t
help to paint a rosy picture of the job for
aspirant principals, but there is plenty of
talent out there and we shouldn’t give
up on identifying these people early and
making sure they have the attributes
required for the role, including a very
healthy dose of Emotional Intelligence. We
can then ‘grow’ them in a purposeful and
strategic way over their careers so that
they are ready and well-equipped to take
over the mantle when the time comes.
The IEU is committed to supporting
principal members through its designated
Principals’ Officer and its targetted
professional development, especially
in the area of Occupational Health
and Safety. It is also focused on the
improvement of principal wages and
conditions in current negotiations for the
new Victorian Catholic Agreement. More
secure contract provisions, enrichment
leave provisions and administrative
support for principals are high on the
agenda for bargaining.
In these trying times, we recognise
the challenges of leadership and aim
to ease the burden.
CAREER CORNER
Future-proofing your career
We’ve talked extensively in this column about performing a skills-gap analysis
for where you currently find yourself career-wise in relation to where you
would like to be in three to five years’ time.
T
he start of the year is
always an opportune
time to go through this
exercise if you find yourself
back in your habitual role
after a nice, long mental and
physical break groaning ‘Here
we go again…!’
The Victorian government
has recently released its report
on Victorian Teacher Supply
and Demand, which provides
a wonderful overview of
the school workforce as it
currently stands, including
some insightful data on
demographics and transition
in and out of schools. Some
of its key findings that
could impact on your career
decisions over the coming
three to five years include the
following:
Kindergarten enrolments
are increasing by 1% p.a.
and employed teachers
increasing by 9%
Student enrolments in
primary and secondary
schools are increasing by
1.5% p.a. This increase is
skewed towards primary
and P-12 schools, with only
a slight increase coming in
secondary schools
The number of funded
kindergarten hours
increased by 20%
The attrition rate of
kindergarten teachers was
26% over 2014-15
An increase of 2.9% in the
number of special teachers
will be required to meet
demand by 2021, but only
1% of 2015 graduate teachers
studied a Special Education
specialisation
The number of Casual Relief
Teachers in Victoria has
remained steady – almost
8,000 – over the past decade
72% of all teaching
vacancies are located in the
metropolitan region, with
LOTE accounting for 26% of
the difficult to fill vacancies
The greatest oversupply
in teachers in 2021 will be
in primary schools (1,626
excess staff). 79% of primary
teachers are female
In 2015, 46% of all Victorian
government school
principals were aged over 54
and only 3% aged under 35.
Career planning is a question
of supply and demand and
attempting to keep one step
ahead of the curve. In light
of that, some of the proposed
changes to curriculum make
for interesting reading.
New South Wales recently
touted its intention to focus
more on life skills at the
expense of a broad range of
knowledge-based subjects.
It is also worth reading some
of the futures in education
literature by authors such
as Valerie Hannon and Yong
Zhao. Ongoing professional
development through
providers such as Teacher
Learning Network (tln.org.au)
is also crucial to ensure your
skill-set meets contemporary
best-practice standard.
Finally, it is interesting
to make a comment about
the recruitment process
for vacancies in schools.
Government schools received
on average 28 applications for
every single vacancy in 2015
through Recruitment Online.
For primary school teacher
vacancies listed on Seek and
other job portals, that figure is
much higher. It goes without
saying, therefore, that it is
more important than ever to
network effectively. As a CRT,
you are only as good as your
last performance; one off-day
could hamper future efforts
to attain ongoing work.
Ensure you continually grow
and sustain your personal
and professional contacts,
which is no mean feat during
term-time. And at all times,
bear in mind the maxim
that to stand still is to go
backwards.
14
THE POINT March 2017
AUTISM
AUTISM IN
IN THE
THE CLASSROOM
CLASSROOM
ON-DEMAND
PACKAGE
AUTISM
IN THE
CLASSROOM
ON-DEMAND
PACKAGE
ON-DEMAND
PACKAGE
AUTISM IN THE
CLASSROOM
ON-DEMAND PACKAGE
Welcome to
TLN in 2017
The Teacher Learning Network has created a range of engaging content for individual and
The Teacher
Teacher
Learning
Network
has created
created
a range
of
school
members
focusedNetwork
on teaching
students
with Autism.
The
Learning
has
a
range
of engaging
engaging content
content for
for individual
individual and
and
school
school members
members focused
focused on
on teaching
teaching students
students with
with Autism.
Autism.
The Teacher Learning Network has created a range of engaging content for individual and
school members focused on teaching students with Autism.
The Teacher Learning Network is your professional development
provider, supported by your Union – IEU Victoria Tasmania.
T
LN operates on school-based
membership – your school pays a
one-off membership fee and then all
staff in the school can access the following
benefits FREE of any further cost:
1. Over 100 professional development
courses each year delivered by
‘teachers for teachers’. See the full list at
www.tln.org.au
2. Courses that meet the needs of ES staff
working with students or having to
manage challenging conversations with
other adults
3. Most courses are delivered online and
are accessible anywhere in Victoria or
Tasmania
4. Multiple copies of professional journals
three times per year. In 2017 the journal
themes are Feedback (in schools in the
first week of March); Digital Literacy –
implementing the new curriculum; and
New Pedagogies (assessing the new
teaching models from Hattie, Marzano,
McRel, etc.)
5. Over 70 recorded courses – available to all
staff on-demand. Topics include literacy,
numeracy, behaviour management,
working with students with learning
disability, differentiation.
New in 2017
(accessible to TLN members only)
The Professional Certificate in Education
Leadership – a 16-hour Certificate course
for new, emerging and aspiring leaders.
Practical, hands-on and flexible.
Email [email protected] for more
information or go to www.tln.org.au/
leadershipcertificate
Autism in the Classroom – On-demand
Package. An innovative 8-hour package of
video recordings, podcasts, professional
reading, forums and practical activities on
teaching students with Autism. This is the
best introduction to this teaching skill.
Join TLN
If your school is not a member (you can
check at www.tln.org.au) then you and
the staff at your school are missing out.
School membership is much cheaper
than you imagine. For information or to
join, email [email protected] or call
Michael Victory on (03) 9418 4992 or
join online at www.tln.org.au
The writing on
the wall – is your
IEU Noticeboard
working?
The Teacher Learning
Network has created a range of engaging content for individual and
On-demand
packages
school
members focused
on teaching students with Autism.
On-demand
packages
On-demand
packages
bundle
together
a range
bundle
together
a
bundle
together
a range
range
of
innovative
teacher
On-demand
packages
of
innovative
teacher
of
innovative
teacher
practice,
discussions
and
bundle
together
a range
practice,
discussions
and
practice,
discussions
and
digital
media
to
enhance
of
innovative
teacher
On-demand
packages
digital
media
to
enhance
digital
media
to
enhance
your
learning
practice,
discussions
and
bundle together a range
your
your learning
learning
experience.
This
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media
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enhance
of innovative
experience.
This
experience.
This OnOndemand
package
your
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demand
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of
content,
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content,with
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improve teaching of
students with Autism.
These sessions will build your capacity to teach students with Autism. Access the content over several sessions at a
These
capacity
teach
with
Autism.
Access
the
that to
is convenient
to you.
Package
includes:
These sessions
sessions will
will build
build your
yourtime
capacity
to
teach students
students
withThe
Autism.
Access
the content
content over
over several
several sessions
sessions at
at a
a
time that
that is
is convenient
convenient to
to you.
you. The
The Package
Package includes:
includes:
time
These sessions will build your capacity to teach students with Autism. Access the content over several sessions at a
time that is convenient to you. The Package includes:
 Lectures
Lectures
 Professional
Reading
These sessions will build your capacity to teach students with Autism.
Access the
content over several sessions at a
Lectures
Professional
Reading
time that is convenient to you. The
Package includes:
 Podcasts
Professional
Reading
 Access
Lectures
Podcasts
to member only forums
 Podcasts
Professional
Reading
Access
only
 Recommended
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 Convenient, accessible and
flexible learning environment
Completing this package of courses will
Completing
this
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8 hours
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Completing
this package
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addressing
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For more information
about
participating
in theProfessional
package or joining the Teacher Learning Network (TLN), go to
www.tln.org.au
orinemail
Kate Chinner
[email protected]
Standards
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maintaining
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Proficientwww.tln.org.au
Teacher Accreditation
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www.tln.org.au
or email
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Kate
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[email protected]
For more information about participating in the package or joining the Teacher Learning Network (TLN), go to
www.tln.org.au or email Kate Chinner [email protected]
For more information about participating in the package or joining the Teacher Learning Network (TLN), go to
www.tln.org.au or email Kate Chinner [email protected]
An IEU noticeboard helps members and nonmembers access vital information about the IEU, so it’s
crucial yours is prominent and relevant with lots of
information for people to look at, unpin and take away.
W
e can provide you with IEU banners, membership forms,
brochures, handbooks and policy documents to help start the
Union conversation in your school. Just ask!
So, how should your noticeboard look? Leah Opie of Mentone Girls’
Grammar sent us a picture of hers and as far as the humble noticeboard
goes, it’s pretty much best practice. She even provided some helpful tips
about what works for her, and her sub-branch:
Pin up your IEU organiser’s
business cards, as well as joining
forms so people have easy access
to them
Have the names of reps,
consultative committee, etc.
clearly written on the board
Place the board in the main
staffroom where the most people
can see it and access it
Present the board in Union
colours with a big, visible heading
Make it exclusive – don’t post
other notices on the board
Use a table underneath so that
Union newspapers and additional
membership forms, flyers etc. can
be placed there
Alert staff to the noticeboard in
an email and a meeting.
If your noticeboard is a winner like Leah’s, please take
a photo and send it to us at [email protected]
Attach your image (high resolution please) along
with your name and school. We look forward to
seeing your noticeboards. The more information
we share, the more we talk about union values and
priorities, hopefully more staff will want to take the
next step and become a member.
15
March 2017 THE POINT
Who wants to
be a Deputy?
R
ecently the IEU undertook to find out what
deputy principals/Heads of Campus feel
about their roles and their professional
development needs. Outlined below are the issues
our members revealed.
The demographics
Sixty one percent of our group were primary
school deputies, thirty one percent secondary, and 8
percent P to 12. 67% were women, and 88% were from
Catholic schools in Victoria. Three deputies worked in
Tasmanian Catholic primary schools and two in large
Victorian P to 12 independent schools.
The Role and Workload
Workload is always an issue, and there was quite
a discrepancy in the hours per week that schools
officially allocated to our deputies to undertake their
duties in similar size schools. The time allocation in
small primary schools ranged from 1 to 3 hours per
week (1 deputy) through 1 to 1.5 days (5), 2 to 2.5 days (2),
and 3 to 4 days (2). In medium sized primary schools we
saw 2 to 2.5 days (5 deputies), 3 to 4 days (3), and 5 days
(4). Both of the deputies in the large primary schools
(550 to 699 enrolment) had 5 days per week.
In secondary schools there was again variation of
allocated release time, with those in medium size
schools (that is, 550 to 1100 enrolment) having either
3 to 4 days (4 deputies), or 5 days (2). In the large
secondaries (more than 1101 enrolment) 6 deputies had
3 to 4 days, and 1 had 5 days. Even the deputies in the
two large schools of over 1500 students differed – one
allocated 3 to 4 days and the other 5 days a week.
When asked what they found most stressful about
the role, workload (34%) and dealing with others
(29%) stood out as the most significant issues for both
primary and secondary deputies in similar proportion.
31% of the group indicated that they did not have
enough time allocated to undertake their duties
with reasons related particularly to the extensive
multifaceted nature of the role and increasing
demands, particularly with administrative duties on
top of dealing with student issues.
Lack of clarity in the role was experienced by
18% of the respondents, with three-quarters being
in secondary schools. Again the extensive and
multifaceted nature of expectations, along with everexpanding scope and amount of duties included were
given as reasons.
Aspiration and professional
development needs
Surprisingly, just under half of the total group
indicated they were aspirant principals, with more
male and secondary deputies here (54 % of the
male deputies and 43% of female deputies, 50%
of the secondary deputies and 42% of the primary
deputies). When asked if they had applied for
principal positions, only 37% replied yes (50% of
secondary deputies and 30% of primary, 27% of the
female deputies, and 54% of the male deputies). Both
aspiration and application were spread across the
different years of experience.
The reasons given for lack of desire to become
a principal were largely because of the huge
workload and complex role and responsibilities
principals experience, as well as the problem of
lack of overall support.
The top three areas of professional development
focus were managing difficult conversations,
effective leadership skills, and supporting staff; with
curriculum knowledge and legal issues following
closely. 86% of the deputies had attended specific
leadership-focused PD.
Deputies/Heads of Campus are a vital link in the
education leadership chain and the IEU believes that
the issues highlighted by our members need to be
tackled at both school and system level to ensure
that they are well supported in their roles and
the well-documented concerns about taking on a
principalship addressed.
Union Summer
In February, the IEU was
lucky enough to host two
enthusiastic interns as part of
the Union Summer program
run by the Young Workers
Centre at Trades Hall, which
gives young activists the
opportunity to experience life
working for a union.
L
ani Sprague (on right) and Jacqui
Scott joined the IEU team for
three weeks, and, in addition to
visiting schools, finding out about and
getting involved in the many different
aspects of IEU work and signing up
new graduates in our sector, they
conducted a detailed survey of second
year teachers. Using this data, they
put together a very useful report
on the wellbeing and employment
circumstances of early careers teachers.
Unfortunately (though perhaps not
surprisingly) the report included some
sobering findings about workload and
work/life balance, as well as some
very concerning statistics about the
high proportion of new teachers on
fixed-term contracts. Though the IEU
has been working hard over a number
of years to address these issues, this
report highlights that there is a lot
more work still to be done!
We asked them to tell us about their
time with us:
Jacqui said that highlights for her
included ‘being a part of an inclusive
and inspiring union feeling genuinely
like I had a voice, being able express
my thoughts and freely explore issues
for young teachers… I also enjoyed
talking to graduate teachers about
their first few weeks of teaching. As
a 4th year Education student I was
able to empathise with some of the
experiences they are having and offer
advice around issues such as fixed-term
contracts, lack of support and workload.
I was also really interested to hear about
the IEU’s work around Occupational
Health and Safety, and in particular
campaigning for better wellness
programs for teachers and leaders. I
think this is a really important and
underdeveloped area and I am excited
for the IEU to take this on and provide
better services for education staff to
help with stress and burnout. It was
also great to experience a diverse range
of school environments and cultures
with the IEU, including Catholic schools
and an Islamic school. IEU organisers
taught me many skills to facilitate
discussion whilst being respectful to
differences between schools. Thank
you to the staff I met at these schools,
meeting you all and being welcomed
into your schools was a massive
highlight! I’m also really interested in
the IEU’s Women’s Committee and the
conferences being run to develop skills
for women in leadership positions.
This is an area I really support and I am
super excited to see what these strong
women come up with!’
Lani said: ‘Union Summer has been
one of the best experiences of my life.
I came into it not even knowing what
the IEU was, to now having so much
pride in having been a part of such an
amazing team. This Union has taught
REP PROFILE
Ianto Kelly
We hear from the rep at
Loyola College Watsonia.
I
have been an English and
Humanities teacher at Loyola
College for the past 7 years, with
English being my passion. Prior
to seeking full-time work at the
school, I had several years of casual
employment, so I am aware of the
difficulties of insecure work conditions.
I was moved to take on the subbranch rep role in 2015 when our
previous rep moved overseas; he’d
done a great job getting things
rolling and I didn’t want to see the
momentum lost. However, I was a bit
daunted by the demands of the role –
it’s a really important job! – so a likeminded colleague and I decided to
act as a rep committee, with another
colleague serving as assistant rep.
We divide communication and
tasks between us and we help each
other in learning the ins and outs
of running sub-branch meetings
and representing the Union on the
school’s Consultative Committee.
Staff members were really happy
with this arrangement as well – it
gives them more than one person to
talk to about concerns.
While it has been somewhat
challenging over the last year to plan
for sub-branch activation, the rep
committee has been able to schedule
sub-branch meetings each term. The
most effective aspect has been to have
our IEU Organiser attend many of
these – her detailed knowledge of the
Agreement, conditions and process of
negotiation has really helped answer
members’ questions, and assisted
the rep committee with meeting
procedures.
It has been a steep learning curve,
but a rewarding one. The union
members at Loyola are becoming
a more informed, active collective
whose voices are being heard.
me so much. I learnt what it was like
to actually be active in the movement
beyond being a union member, and
there is so much honour and strength
in that. Dealing daily with the stresses
and hardships of these teachers in
schools being knocked about by the
bigger guys, yet this team never gives
up. They support one another just as
much as they support their members,
and they supported Jacqui and me
just the same. Everyone took time out
of their schedules to chat with us and
teach us about the work they do, they
gave us opportunities to talk with
graduate teachers and connect with
these young workers; it was like we
too were one of the team. I couldn’t
be happier with the time I had, and
only wish I could have had longer.
All I know is that my whole life long
I will be backing this badass union –
they deserve no less!’
Thanks Jacqui and Lani – it was
great having you both with us!
The Young Workers Centre runs
union internship programs twice a
year – for more info about this and
the other great work being done at
the YWC go to www.youngworkers.
org.au/ and www.facebook.com/
youngworkerscentre
16
THE POINT March 2017
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17
March 2017 THE POINT
Equality is Union business
Swan Hill members meet
On 31 January, members of the IEU
marched in solidarity with dozens of
other Unions at the Melbourne Pride
march in St Kilda.
IEU members from MacKillop College and St Mary’s
School in Swan Hill met together at the Commercial
Hotel in late February.
T
his was the third annual
meeting and members were
updated on the current state
of the Catholic negotiations and the
bargaining process.
The teaching and ES members took
the opportunity to seek clarity around
issues such as access to long service
leave, maternity leave entitlements, ES
classification, fixed-term employment,
release time and attendance times.
It was a great opportunity for
members from the two schools to
hear about the different and common
issues their colleagues experience.
Membership in the Swan Hill
area is very strong and the members
are well represented by reps Yvette
Agars (MacKillop) and Kate Fiedler
(St Mary’s).
Family-Friendly Workplaces?
Seeking your stories!
H
undreds of union members
and their families from many
industries celebrated at the march,
walking with the Victorian Trades Hall
Council in support of LGBTIQ working
people. There was representation from
more than 160 organisations including the
Victorian Police Force, Emergency Services,
Safe Schools, local councils, Scouts Victoria,
St Kilda Football Club, Ambulance Victoria,
Victoria Legal Aid and the AEU.
When the human rights of any
section of our community are under
attack or are being ignored, it is
heartening to see that union members
will stand together and do all they can
to make a positive change.
The IEU is proud to stand in solidarity
with our LGBTIQ members and the broader
LGBTIQ community.
Human rights are union business.
Equality is union business.
The IEU is proud to be
supporting the ACTU’s
claim to include familyfriendly provisions in all
employment Awards – but
we need your help!
W
e’d really like to hear from
individual members about
their experiences in schools,
particularly regarding negotiating
part-time work on return from
parental leave or flexible working
arrangements to accommodate long
term caring responsibilities (either
for children or for ill or elderly family
members).
We’re interested in everyone’s
experiences, both women and men.
So, tell us your stories of either
success in negotiating flexible
work or not being able to reach a
satisfactory outcome and what
the career consequences were for
you. We will treat your information
confidentially, but may offer
some members the opportunity
to add their story to the ACTU
submissions or to present their
evidence in person at the Fair Work
Commission.
Please let us know if you have
a story to tell – You can send us
a private message or email us at
[email protected]
Are you taking full advantage of your
IEU VIC/TAS Member Advantage benefits?
IEU VIC/TAS Members are already enjoying their member
benefits for great savings on:
•
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Dining
Movie tickets
Accommodation
Gift cards
Magazine subscriptions
•
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Online shopping
Electronics & IT
Package tours
Lifestyle experiences & Gifts
Car hire
To see what you can save, log in to the
IEU VIC/TAS Member Advantage website
using your membership number.
1300 853 352
www.memberadvantage.com.au/ieu
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19
March 2017 THE POINT
International
Roundup
Green Schools
In Zimbabwe, the Amalgamated Rural
Teacher Union has called on all teachers
to take part in a go slow to protest
against the delays in setting a date
for payment of their promised bonus
payments. This action is expected to
escalate if talks fail to resolve the impasse.
The government has stated it is unable
to pay the promised bonuses, but has
instead offered teachers shares instead,
a proposal roundly rejected. Unions have
long been targetted in the southern
African country but a new Constitution
has given workers and their unions hope
for a greater respect for worker rights,
as it enshrines the right to collectively
bargain and the right to strike.
Education workers and their unions in
Germany have taken strike action in
support of a claim for a 6% pay increase
and for a greater investment in trainees
and the next generation of workers in the
industry. A number of public sector unions
have also been agitating for similar
pay increases in order to keep up with
inflation. Two rounds of negotiations have
so far broken down, but further talks have
been scheduled.
As a result of the cross-curriculum requirement in the national curriculum to educate
students about sustainability, non-government schools are engaging more and more
with environmental practices on a broader scale. A fabulous resource for education for
sustainability is your local council.
A
t Kilbreda College Mentone, a partnership has been
forged between the school and the Kingston Council.
The Year 8 students from Kilbreda are working
together with the Council in a foreshore restoration program.
The girls are active in planting, weeding and weed control,
as well as rubbish collection at the particular section of the
local beach allocated to the College. Some other schools
in the area have been given an area of the foreshore for
their responsibility as well. The Kilbreda students are also
engaged in propagation at the Council nursery in Bonbeach.
Engagement with the Council encourages the students
to view the practice of assisting their local community as
a regular way to behave. It fosters a sense of belonging to
their community and teaches them to take an active part in
being responsible for the local environment. This particular
program has highlighted to the students the need for us all
to play our part in caring for our environment.
Some council contacts:
25,000 casual and temporary teachers
in Nepal have taken part in a relay
hunger strike against the government’s
failure to meet a series of demands
including the implementation of
previously agreed permanent contracts
for temporary teachers who have met
agreed benchmarks, redundancies for
those who wish to leave the system and
the provision of medical care for those
who have already retired. In a country
where full-time ongoing teachers are
paid barely above the poverty line,
temporary teachers, who represent
almost 2 in 5 teachers, have no tenure,
a lower rate of pay and no rights to
pension or maternity payments.
Frankston City Council
www.frankston.vic.gov.au/Environment_and_Waste
Boroondara Council
www.boroondara.vic.gov.au/our-city/environmentalsustainability
Bayside Council
www.bayside.vic.gov.au/environment
City Of Port Phillip
www.enviroehub.com.au/
And police were called to a high school
in lockdown in Connecticut, USA (why
is it always in the USA?), to respond to
reports of a student behaving erratically.
His crime? Running zig-zagging down
a corridor and leaping into the air… The
fact that he was a basketball player
seems to have not impacted on anyone’s
common sense.
Preferred lawyers for the IEU
Injury law
Superannuation & insurance
Wills & estates
Financial advice disputes
1800 810 812
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Palms Australia
The core work of Palms Australia is to recruit, prepare and send Australians with the qualifications, skills
and experience to tackle the most pressing needs identified by communities seeking to reduce poverty.
I
n any society, education is essential
to provide opportunity and avoid
the poverty cycle. Since 1961, Palms
education volunteers have mentored local
teachers and strengthened institutions in
39 countries.
Heather Henderson at the
Ruben Centre, Kenya
After volunteering for two years with
the Atabae Community in Timor Leste,
Brisbane teacher Heather Henderson
took up her second Palms placement at
the Ruben Centre in Nairobi, Kenya in
2015. Its programmes focus on health,
education and community development
in the Mukuru Community or ‘Ruben
Slum’ of 600,000 residents. Here she
works to build the capacity of local
teachers through ‘team teaching’
and shared classes, while assisting
management and programme
evaluation. Heather writes'My placement here at Ruben School
in Mukuru has been an amazing journey
of education for me and my host
community. This community continues
to embrace my efforts to help and advise
where and when I am asked. It is a mutual
benefit as my life is richer for the sharing
of life and culture here.
Today I received a reward that has lifted
my spirits and swelled my heart. I observed
my local counterpart Lydia teaching with
passion and joy, her pre-unit class using
a new system called Tayari, which uses
actions and sounds to teach both the
Kiswahili and English alphabets. There
is the use of big books with large format
pictures and also rhymes and singing. Preunit students no longer do exams and the
teachers have been advised to encourage
learning through play. She related to me
that she has found a new lease on life in her
teaching and it shows through her enthusiasm
for her work. Group work teaches the students
leadership skills through adopting roles of
responsibility for students. It is easier for the
teacher to manage the class,’.
For more information:
Postal: PO BOX 3109 Petersham North
NSW 2049 Australia
Phone: (02) 9560 5333
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.palms.org.au
IEU Celebrates
Women
On 1 March, the IEU launched the Women’s
Rights at Work (WRAW) Festival, now in its
second year. The event brought together
IEU members and other unionists for an
evening of books, laughter, chat, wine, and
some serious women’s business.
G
eneral Secretary, Debra
James, and Trades Hall
Industrial/Campaigns
Officer, Wil Stracke, cut the
symbolic purple ribbon
indicating the festival was
well and truly launched.
Wil spoke eloquently on the
need to eliminate all forms of
discrimination, and disturbing
evidence that many women
experience gendered violence in
both subtle and direct forms in
their workplaces. As she put it
‘One more cupcake to celebrate
our oppression is not going to
cut it’.
The Trades Hall Choir stirred the
room with their beautiful songs of
solidarity and then it was down to
some book talk, hosted by Corinne
Grant for our IEU Feminist Book
Club. Corinne chaired a terrific
discussion with our panellists
on the themes of relationships,
independence and feminism in
Miles Franklin’s ‘My Brilliant Career’
and ‘Hope Farm’ by Peggy Frew. The
panellists were Sharon Hayes from
Marian College Sunshine, Kristen
Wischer from the IEU and Connor
Borchard-Burns from Trades Hall,
who spoke eloquently on their
reading of the themes discussed.
The formalities were concluded
by Lisa Heap, Women’s Lead
Organiser from Trades Hall, who
outlined the events still to come in
the WRAW festival, including beer
making, a women’s footy clinic, a
conference on gendered violence
and a gala night. Then it was time
for more chat and some book
swapping, and something to eat
and drink. The vibe was great, and
we thank all the IEU members who
found time in their busy schedules
to be with us.
As expressed in the Choir’s
rendition of ‘Bread and Roses’ –
‘the rising of the women is the
rising of us all’.
IEU women gather
Lisa Heap, Women's Lead Organiser,
Trades Hall
Pamela Chaikin-Badoer, rep
Camberwell Girls’ Grammar .
Pamela has been a member of
the AEU then the IEU for a total
of 38 years – ‘I teach English,
I love literature, I am a proud
member of the IEU and I love
being here tonight to combine
these passions.’
Mary-Anne Thomas, State Member of
Parliament and Cabinet Secretary, former
IEU employee – 'It is fantastic to see everyone
at the IEU, a workplace I hold great memories
of. The IEU is going from strength to strength
and has always been at the forefront of
women’s rights.’
Sharon Hayes, rep at Marian
College Sunshine and
panellist on the Book Club.
‘It’s important to celebrate
how far we’ve come but to
also ensure we don’t lose
what we’ve fought for’.
Mary Gargano and Bianca
Kubicki from Xavier College.
Mary – ‘You don’t often get an
opportunity like this to bring
people together. ‘
Bianca – ‘I like the solidarity
that occurs when women
come together.’