Anger grows as Catholic education employers push rushed “offer”
Educators in Victorian Catholic schools are not merely underwhelmed by their employers’ so-called “offer” – they are appalled.
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They are angry that the Victorian Catholic Education Authority (VCEA) has repeatedly refused to seek a Single Interest Authorisation, denying them the basic rights their peers enjoy and undermining fair, balanced negotiations.
They are incredulous that employers are now trying to bypass proper bargaining with their representatives, the IEU, by floating a wage offer before talks have even begun.
And they are outraged by attempts to roll back hard-won conditions through a rushed, sub-standard Agreement.
After the latest VCEA communication Monday, one Rep likened the employer’s position as ‘holding staff to ransom’.
“If workers don’t support their non-bargained, non-agreed proposal, they’ll take it to the Fair Work Commission and push for a formal vote.
“Here’s the kicker: they already know this will fail — and their next move shows their true colours. In the same email, they’ve threatened that if their plan isn’t supported, there will be no pay rise until 2028.
“Let’s call this what it is: holding workers to ransom.
“Take 7% now or get nothing as punishment ... This isn’t negotiation. It’s intimidation.”
If you’ve signed, share the information with colleagues who haven’t!
Bargaining takes the union
An Assistant Rep at a regional Catholic College labelled the so-called “offer” to staff “an attempt to mislead and divide us”.
“The reality is this: bargaining cannot truly begin until the registered parties (VCEA - who represent all 36 employers, the IEU who represent workers) are at the table, and the IEU will not bargain without securing an SIA, as we, the members, have demanded.
“Their published “objectives” prove the point: they ignore the 101 claims we have democratically endorsed, they dismiss the depth of our log of claims, and they remain out of touch with reality in schools. They would rather preserve salary disparities than fix them. The VCEA offer also depends on the outcome of bargaining in the State system which is unknown.
“The VCEA offer of 7% still puts us behind our NSW counterparts in salary and will ensure we remain behind them for years to come.”
The bottom line
Many staff members questioned why Catholic employers were putting up a pay proposal so inferior to NSW.
One pointed out that this Victorian Catholic education is a “HUGE business” that is not short of money. Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) has a surplus of $268 million, and over seven billion dollars of funding flows to the VCEA from state and federal governments.
Another did the maths, saying if there are 33,000 employees being offered $1500 to say yes to the “offer”, that’s $49,500,000. They aren’t short of folding – try reading that number without commas!
Christian values
The Catholic church is quite revolutionary in its enlightened rulings and attitudes to worker rights and the crucial role of trade unions. In Australia, there’s even an official booklet called Good Works which offers guidance for Catholic employers like the VCEA. However, as an IEU Rep noted, those guidelines are being ignored by VCEA:
“Can Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools really live its mission while backing this offer?
“MACS says Catholic education should “foster the formation of the whole person,” “serve the common good,” and “model respectful dialogue.”
“Yet the Victorian Catholic Education Authority - VCEA “first and final offer”, which MACS strongly supports, does the opposite:
Authoritarian and one-sided – avoids actual bargaining with the IEU.
Dropped during Year 12 chaos to distract and divide.
Offers less than 7% total, still leaving Catholic staff 5% behind NSW Catholic workers.
Replaces consultation with token “discussion.”
Cuts TIL and part-time entitlements, fragmenting time off and reducing fairness.
Locks staff into a four-year deal that removes real voice and choice.
“How does that reflect the Gospel values of justice, respect, and human dignity that MACS proclaims?
“If Catholic education is truly about people and community, then workers — teachers and support staff alike — deserve a fair say and fair pay.
“There are many more issues in this offer, but one thing is clear: A Single Interest Authorisation (SIA) is the only way to live our shared mission with integrity.”
Eroding precious conditions by stealth
Reps examining the sketchy VCEA “offer” have been amazed to see the following hard-won work conditions at risk:
Teacher attendance: removal of the right to leave when not required, reintroducing rigid attendance.
Time in lieu: reduced certainty and access, with employers gaining more discretion.
Specialist and special assistance schools: removal of meeting caps and increased workloads.
Annual leave: loss of entitlements, forced use during shutdowns, and cuts to leave loading.
Personal leave: deductions based on total attendance hours instead of teaching time, reducing its value.
Demystifying the statement of support for non-members
This Rep said it best:
“Filling in a Statement of Support DOES NOT:
Commit you to taking industrial action.
Sign you up as a Union member.
Negate any rights that you may have.
What completing the Statement of Support DOES do is:
Indicate to the Fair Work Commission that YOU wish for both VCEA and the IEU to negotiate under a Single Interest Authority Agreement with all the industrial rights that it brings.
The possibility of using the Fair Work Commission to adjudicate where no common ground can be found.
A Statement of Support indicates to VCEA that Victorian Catholic staff want all the bargaining powers that their colleagues in other States currently have.”
Members on the VCEA “offer”:
One said of the employers’ $1500 one off payment on signing up: “I’d get bigger bonuses working in Woolies or Coles with a Staff Discount!”
Another reminded fellow members that VCEA offer is for a four-year Agreement. “That's an extra year of turd in glitter treatment. It's very much a money saver for VCEA.”
Many members were upset by the overbearing and unprecedented ambush offer by VCEA: “You cannot bargain without engaging with workers and the IEU. The approach is authoritarian and lacks any semblance of respect for our log of claims.”
A Rep suggested that their members reply to the employers in their survey “telling them how bad their offer is and that I DON’T support it or their underhanded tactics!”
