Subject: The campaign for fair bargaining rights in Victorian Catholic education.  

Dear Colleague

As the Independent Education Rep in our workplace, I’m passing on an important message from the IEU to all staff – and a request that everyone in this workplace signs a Statement of Support for fair bargaining rights in Victorian Catholic education at www.ieuvictas.org.au/sos

You will be aware that there is a significant disagreement between the IEU and the Victorian Catholic Education Authority around the form of our next Agreement.

This is critically important – and the type of Agreement we negotiate matters.

Our union is seeking a Single Interest Authorisation (SIA), which empowers us to negotiate a Single Interest Agreement with strength, with access to the bargaining powers and rights that are available to the vast majority of workers across Australia. These include the right to seek bargaining assistance from the Fair Work Commission and to vote to take protected industrial action.

The VCEA, unlike its interstate counterparts, is refusing to support a Single Interest Authorisation, and is seeking to deny us these key bargaining rights – in short, they want us to negotiate improvements to salaries and conditions from a position of weakness.

Given this refusal, the only way we can win these rights is by demonstrating that the campaign for fair bargaining has majority staff support across all employers.

If you haven’t done so already, you can add your name to this important campaign at www.ieuvictas.org.au/sos – it only takes a moment and your name will not be provided to employers.

We’re really close now, but we need everyone’s support. A majority of staff in 28 employers have already added their support, and our numbers are growing by the day at other employers. Right now, every additional supporter strengthens our case and brings us closer to winning the rights we need to negotiate the long-term improvements to salaries and conditions that we and our school communities deserve.

You can read more about this important matter at www.ieuvictas.org.au/sia

I would also like to invite all staff to join our IEU Sub-Branch – you can find out more about membership at www.ieuvictas.org.au/join

Thank you for your support.

In unity,