Dynamic duo lend their voices to Petition of Support campaign
Intrepid Reps Adam Nicholl and Anthony Ventura on the phones at IEU headquarters.
How committed are IEU members to fair bargaining? Dedicated Reps Adam Nicholl and Anthony Ventura took precious time out of their holidays to make calls supporting the union’s new Petition of Support campaign.
Adam, Rep at St Margaret’s School Maribyrnong, and Anthony, Rep at Loyola College Watsonia, came to the union office on the second Thursday of the school holidays to call members covered by the employers not currently included in the union’s Single Interest Authorisation (SIA) application.
The IEU is now seeking to include these remaining employers in an SIA application wherever a majority is achieved.
Sign the Petition of Support
If you work at CESL (Sandhurst), Catholic College Sale, DOBCEL (Ballarat), DOSCEL (Sale), FCJ College Benalla, Mackillop Family Services, MACS (Melbourne), MACS Specialist Schools, St Bede's College, St Columba's College or the VCEA…
Sign the petition of support and get your school and employer joined up to our SIA application.
For overworked educators, there is nothing more precious than their time. Many must work during so-called holidays because of workload issues the union is fighting to address in bargaining. Adam and Anthony’s commitment demonstrated the strength of feeling among Victorian Catholic members being denied fair bargaining rights.
The pair began by calling members in schools without a Rep and, within their first few minutes, signed up two members to step up and take on this critical role. Establishing a Rep in every workplace is one of the union’s highest priorities, helping turn goodwill into action. In this case, Reps will help ensure crucial signatures of support for single interest bargaining are gathered from all staff, not just IEU members.
The union needs a firm majority of all staff to pledge their support for single interest bargaining to ensure the outstanding schools are included in the SIA application.
The renewed campaign for fair bargaining got off to a strong start in the first week of the school holidays, with thousands of signatures gathered in the first two days.
Adam says the response he received from members was “overwhelmingly positive”.
“Most people have been more than happy to give up some of their holiday time to listen to why this campaign is so important and why they need to sign.
Adam says this campaign matters because “to get the best deal, we need access to these bargaining rights…”
“We should have the basic bargaining rights, just like any other teachers from any other state, to go on strike or seek intervention from the Fair Work Commission to help negotiate a better deal.”
What Adam and Anthony are saying to members
The IEU is seeking renewed support from members at employers not yet covered by the Single Interest Authorisation application, asking them to sign the Petition of Support for fair bargaining rights.
While there was strong support last year, issues with employer workforce data meant proving this to the Fair Work Commission could have caused significant delays.
A renewed demonstration of clear majority support is the quickest path forward and will strengthen members’ collective voice in bargaining.
Members who supported last year’s Statements of Support campaign are being asked to stand together again and show employers that resistance to fair bargaining must end.
Members are encouraged to sign the new petition and encourage colleagues to do the same, with every signature strengthening the case for bringing all employers into fair bargaining.
Let’s take this step together towards securing better salaries, safer workplaces and stronger workload protections for everyone in Catholic education.
