As AEU strikes, IEU members sign to support fair bargaining
STOP PRESS:
Member solidarity activities supercharge Petition of Support campaign in a big day for the union
Member solidarity activities across Victorian Catholic schools have given the union's campaign to collect Petitions of Support for a Single Interest Authorisation a major boost.
We've seen a strong surge in signatures today, thanks to the efforts of our Reps and members in schools. Thank you to everyone who took part.
Keep an eye out for the official figures over the next few days. In the meantime, let's build on this momentum and secure every possible signature to achieve the majorities we need.
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As government school staff take strike action in central Melbourne, thousands of IEU members in Catholic schools are instead using lawful workplace solidarity activities to support their colleagues and campaign for the same bargaining rights as their public school counterparts.
AEU members are taking strike action for the second time this year, using highly visible public action to highlight their claims for improved pay and conditions and call on the Victorian Government to reach an Agreement.
For Victorian Catholic employees, the action highlights the industrial action they are unable to take.
IEU General Secretary David Brear said the AEU action highlights the unequal treatment of education workers across Victoria.
"Both government and Catholic education staff face the same pressures: excessive workloads, workforce shortages and the urgent need for salaries and conditions that properly value their work.
"But today, one group of education workers can lawfully stop work to make its voice heard, while the other remains required to bargain without the same rights.
"Catholic education staff are not asking for special treatment. They are asking for the same ability to bargain on a level playing field as their public-school colleagues and Catholic education workers interstate."
IEU members unite at St Anthony’s Melton South.
Victorian Catholic education staff cannot stop work to stand with their government school colleagues during the Australian Education Union's 24-hour statewide strike because they do not currently have the same bargaining rights, including the right to seek Good Faith Bargaining Orders and the right to take protected industrial action.
Today, IEU members are undertaking solidarity activities to build support for a fair Agreement delivering fair pay and conditions for hard-working staff in Catholic schools.
IEU members on leave or retired made their presence felt at today’s rally, former General Secretary Deb James (front) amongst them.
IEU members will instead do what they can within the law to support AEU colleagues while encouraging colleagues to sign the petition for a Single Interest Authorisation (SIA), enabling members to pursue fair pay and conditions in the Catholic sector with fair bargaining rights.
Sub-branches across the state are organising lawful workplace solidarity activities, sharing messages of support and holding major petition-signing drives.
More than 8000 employees have already signed the petition in just over two weeks, but the union is urging every possible staff member to sign, so strong majorities are achieved at every employer for whom the union applies.
Rep Bridgette at St Francis Xavier Catholic Primary School, Corio.
The SIA application
The IEU's current SIA application before the Fair Work Commission covers 24 Catholic education employers. Disputed workforce data led to some other employers not being included.
The IEU is now establishing clear support from a majority of staff at each of the remaining employers.
The union will seek to bring in every remaining employer where there is majority support into the SIA process.
A Single Interest Authorisation enables multi-employer bargaining with access to Fair Work Commission assistance to help reach a fairly-negotiated Agreement and provides access to protected industrial action if needed.
Those bargaining rights are not currently available to Victorian Catholic education staff under employers’ preferred bargaining framework.
The AEU action
Earlier this week, members of the Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian Branch voted to reject the Allan Government's latest public school pay and conditions offer. More than 50,677 members participated in the online ballot—90.2% of those eligible to vote—with 51.18% voting to reject the offer.
Following a rally of more than 30,000 members in March, AEU members across Victoria are holding a 24-hour stop-work action on Thursday 23 July, gathering at Bourke Street Mall before marching to Parliament House.
The AEU is seeking a 35% pay increase over three years to address what it describes as a significant gap between Victorian public school salaries and those in every other state and territory. The union is also calling for increased classroom support and smaller class sizes.
The always engaged members at Marist-Sion College Warragul.
“We know that stop work action is disruptive for parents and students, and we don’t do this lightly. Families need to know why we’re taking this action,” AEU branch president Justin Mullaly said.
“For too long, the state government has relied on the goodwill and unpaid work of public school staff to ensure students get access to a high quality education.”
Those issues are familiar to IEU members in the Victorian Catholic sector, where salaries also trail interstate counterparts and teachers may be responsible for classes of up to 29 students.
The IEU is not calling on its members to stop work. Instead, Catholic education staff will support their AEU colleagues through lawful workplace solidarity activities, just as they did during the previous AEU strike in March.
On Tuesday 24 March, 120 IEU sub-branches took part in solidarity activities. Members held workplace gatherings, wore black, passed sub-branch motions, displayed public messages, produced photos and videos, and even purchased "solidarity coffees" for striking colleagues.
General Secretary: Strike highlights unequal bargaining rights
David Brear says working in a different education sector should not mean you are subject to different rights.
"Whether someone works in a government or Catholic school, they deserve fair pay, manageable workloads, and safe workplaces achieved by having a genuine voice at the bargaining table."
The IEU is determined to achieve badly needed improvements to pay and conditions in the sector in the shortest timeframe possible and calls on Catholic employers to provide their staff with the tools required for fair negotiations.
Federal Education Minister wants teachers “well paid”
Speaking on TV’s Today Show, Education Minister Jason Clare spoke about the AEU strike, but his words apply across all sectors.
“Well, I hope they sort it out. You know, teachers do the most important job in the country; I want to see them well paid.
“The more people get paid, the more people want to do the job. We've seen that in NSW, where the NSW Government has delivered a record pay rise to teachers, and now we've got vacancies in the classroom at 12-year lows.”
