VCEA’s “staff survey” fails the test of genuine consultation
The VCEA’s “survey” is a campaign pitch: it touts a $1,500 bonus, hides cuts, offers no guarantee of anonymity or independent oversight ̶ yet employers plan to use it to seek a Fair Work Commission voting order.
It’s a textbook case of attempting to manufacture consent, and a reminder of why Catholic education employees need fair, transparent bargaining under a Single Interest Authorisation (SIA).
A loaded question, not a fair survey
The VCEA’s so-called EB25 survey asks staff:
“Do you support a minimum 7% pay rise from January, guaranteed ongoing pay parity with government schools, a $1500 sign-on bonus for full-time employees, five full days of time in lieu for full-time teachers, and other benefits as outlined in the offer? It’s time to say YES!”
This is not an objective question. It bundles selected elements of the proposal that sound attractive (i.e. wage increases and bonuses) without disclosing the full picture. There is no mention of the proposed cuts to existing entitlements, such as changes to teacher personal leave and weakened attendance flexibility, or changes to annual leave for Education Support Staff. The use of the term ‘parity’ is misleading, given the lack of assurance that structural improvements to classification scales (such as a quicker progression to the top for teachers or ES) will be matched. Similarly, the suggestions that rejecting their ‘offer’ would mean up to a year of delay is unfounded and shockingly misleading - particularly given that historical delays in achieving salary increases have been a result of the failures of so called ‘co-operative’ bargaining.
From a data integrity perspective, the survey fails even basic standards of neutrality and transparency expected in staff consultation processes. Responses are not guaranteed to be anonymous and there is no independent oversight of how data will be stored or interpreted.
Bogus consultation
The VCEA has indicated it will use the survey results to put pressure on the union to agree to put their so-called “offer” to a vote, and to then apply to the Fair Work Commission (FWC) for a voting order if we refuse. There has been no confirmation of what level of support would trigger such an escalation.
This approach reverses the normal order of fair bargaining: rather than negotiating with employees represented by their union before putting an agreement to a vote, the VCEA is using a marketing-style survey to manufacture consent. That’s not how genuine consultation works.
What’s missing from the employers’ so-called “offer”
The VCEA’s communications focus heavily on pay increases and bonuses but are silent on the broader impact of their proposal. Buried in the fine print are proposed changes that would reduce or weaken current entitlements:
Cuts to how teacher personal leave is calculated (deducted hour-for-hour rather than instructional time).
Increased control over attendance time, limiting teachers’ ability to manage professional duties flexibly.
Removal of meeting caps and increases to scheduled class time in Specialist and Special Assistance Schools.
Changes to annual leave and leave loading that disadvantage many Education Support Staff.
These proposed changes aren’t benefits, they’re cuts that undo years of progress made through collective bargaining.
A better path forward
The IEU is urging members and staff to say NO to the VCEA’s “offer”. This so-called consultation is neither independent nor representative of genuine staff opinion.
It is NOT sensible to say yes to both their survey and the union’s single interest authorisation application – they are at cross purposes. One is designed to let employers override your agency; the other is intended to give staff leverage in bargaining, so pay and conditions improve rather than go backwards.
Importantly, there is nothing preventing the VCEA and Catholic employers from providing an interim 7% wage increase and $1500 bonus now, while negotiations occur under the SIA. The IEU would welcome this. What’s missing isn’t funding or willpower; it’s a fair process that gives staff a real voice in shaping their working conditions.
The VCEA’s survey is not a good measure of staff opinion, it’s a tool designed to create the illusion of support for an unnegotiated “offer”.
Catholic school staff deserve better. We need genuine consultation, fair bargaining, and outcomes developed with us, not for us.
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