Lauriston IEU members vote for action to secure a fair deal

IEU members at Lauriston Girls’ School have overwhelmingly endorsed all 15 options for industrial action offered in a Protected Action Ballot, sending a clear message to their employer that they will not accept its sub-standard offer.

Over 95% of eligible staff voted ‘yes’ on measures ranging from adding statements about the IEU’s campaign to work emails to “an unlimited number of stoppages of work for durations between 5 minutes and up to 24 hours”.

Bargaining at Lauriston has been ongoing since May 2025. The employer’s offer of a 9% pay increase over three years risked staff falling behind the standards set in the current rounds of negotiations in goverment and Catholic schools, and did not address key claims, including workload and parental leave provisions.

In response, the IEU lodged an application for a Protected Action Ballot Order (PABO) on 13 March. Following this, the employer put the proposed enterprise agreement to a staff vote, which was overwhelmingly rejected: 170 voted No, 30 voted Yes.

The results of the IEU protected action ballot were declared on 31 March. Members met in the final week of term to discuss next steps and plan ongoing action.

The employer is asking staff to accept an offer that falls short on the issues that matter most: pay, workload, and conditions. The union reminded members that this deal would be locked in for three years if accepted.

The strong Yes vote does not mean industrial action will occur immediately, but it provides members with the legal option to take some or all of these actions if required to secure a better agreement.

Even the prospect of industrial action which exposes staff dissatisfaction can be enough to shift previously intractable negotiations.