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As we conclude 2021, it’s timely to review the integral issues our members have shared with us. It’s no surprise that across the board, regardless of organization, the same issues are experienced by teachers, principals and ancillary staff.
We’re preparing a survey for the new year and look forward to your feedback, when everyone is refreshed with renewed energy to start 2022.
ISSUES FOR DISCUSSION
Pay for hours completed – a vast majority of teachers go over and above the award hours every single day of the week, weeknights and weekends. All this while wages have remained stagnant.
The trend found across a vast majority of organizations in the state, is that previous enterprise agreements have missed the mark substantially and do not fit the cost of work hours completed by employees as classified essential workers. When lined up against the rule of lawful industrial practice, they seriously fail.
Teachers are now considered front line and ‘essential workers’ to the operations of the state. With this must come parity and fairness across the board. Nurses, police and fire brigade are all ‘essential workers’ and awarded overtime and meals that go with that.
Teachers are expected to work long hours, weeknights and weekends without meal breaks or compensation. The time has come that teachers are awarded wages for time done. Currently, it is wage theft.
RAIS Payments – there is no incentive to go out into remote and isolated schools. A perfect scenario of an appropriate incentive would be one similar to that of Western Australia - a additional $25,000 per year awarded to all employees who voluntarily apply for isolated and remote positions.
Long Service Leave – We know that all education employees are seeking a wage rise in 2022. Red Union members are no different and wish to seek .5 % or .2 % increment change wage rise. Red Union members have used a solutions focused proposal that a TOIL BANK Policy be an answer to the problem of increased wages. Overtime would be ‘banked’ at the end of every semester with 2 terms notice given to access after 10 years.
The proposal is that overtime wages or TOIL, be ‘banked’ on employees Long Service Leave on a per Semester basis.
Contract Teachers - be awarded permanency after 3 years’ service and awarded LSL payout after 10 consecutive years of service.
Non Contact Time / SPARES – be banked under a Flexible Learning / Flexible Work Hybrid Model. Principals take these hours away at any given time, leaving deficit gaps. “If they can take it – they can give it”.
Meetings for Meeting’s Sake – this needs practice needs to stop. Lengthy meetings with irrelevant agendas are not serving the needs of all. Principals must stop this practice and refer to the Awards.
Lunch Duty – Capped to no more than 3 per week at no more than half an hour each duty.
Class Numbers – This is an area that requires significant attention. Class numbers should be ‘locked’ forcing schools to redirect students to a new class.
Penalties for Breaches of Legislation – In the first instance, employees should be redirected to Mandated Training. In the case of government departments, the first ‘punishment’ is to iRefer and then ‘allegations’ reported to the Integrity Unit, this process is too often ‘over the top discipline’ which takes way too long for real change to be effective and leaves a feeling of humility and defense which isn’t conducive to quality management.
This strategy is not how we ‘discipline’ students nor should it be how we hand out ‘consequences’ to employees. It’s not only costly to the taxpayer, but the time frames are unacceptable, often taking up to 6 months for an answer on what should have been managed at the school level.
Meritorious Sick Leave after 20 Years – access should be automatic.
Local Consultative Committees LCC – They don’t work. They need a review and external leadership which can easily be done via remote meetings.
EASTER Break – Qld should have 2 weeks off like every other state
MANDATORY POLICE REPORTING – for all assault on education employees, immediate EXCLUSION and no suspension pending.
Further discussions at a state consultative level will commence in Term 1 2022 via the following:
- Member ZOOM Meetings
- Branch Secretary Meetings
- NEU groups
- Principal and Admin Leaders Meetings
- Industry Meetings
- Parents Meetings
Further issues to be discussed:
- Allocating teachers outside their specialization
- Weekend work – on a salary versus wages – get paid for every hour worked
- Band 5 Principal wages review
- HAT’s
We look forward to speaking with as many members as possible to collect and collate feedback, ideas and more importantly – solutions.