On Wednesday, James Merlino, former politician and now chair of the Victorian Catholic Education Authority, urged staff to support a short-term bribe at the expense of real pay rises and improved conditions.

Despite the practised smile and smooth delivery, the message was chilling: take $1500 now and forget about bargaining.

With crucial entitlements and pay rises at risk, it’s vital to expose just how misleading this video was — so here’s the IEU’s response to Mr Merlino’s message.

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Merlino: I’ve been involved in the Labor movement for more than half my life, either in the union or in government. I know it is unusual for you to get an offer directly from the employer, and I want to explain why.

IEU: The “first and final offer” to staff is a deliberate attempt to evade bargaining with a take it or leave it ultimatum. This is union-busting 101; Mr Merlino is no champion of unions or education workers. If he was, then the IEU would not have had to write to the VCEA, warning that Catholic school employers are breaking the Fair Work Act by obstructing the rights of Sub-Branch Reps.

Merlino: The current agreement expires at the end of the year. We’ve been trying to meet with the union and negotiate a cooperative agreement since July. The union has refused to meet.

IEU: Negotiations could have been long underway if the VCEA had agreed to fair bargaining by applying for a single interest authorisation. We’ve sought that since March. An SIA guarantees the basic bargaining rights every other Australian educator has - rights your employer alone denies, including access to good faith bargaining orders and protected industrial action. And now the VCEA is trying to evade bargaining with the IEU altogether.

Merlino: Now I respect the role of the union. They’ve got an important role to play, but their focus to date has been on the type of agreement rather than on your wages and conditions.

IEU: If Mr Merlino respected workers’ rights and the role of unions, he would have insisted that the VCEA apply for an SIA, which the IEU knows would give us the best chance to achieve better wages and conditions. He would not be trying bypass bargaining with their representatives, the IEU, by floating a final wage “offer” before talks have even begun. He would not be holding staff to ransom by saying ‘Take 7% now or get nothing’. It is worth noting that as Minister for Education in the Labor government, Mr Merlino presided over the ‘modest wage outcomes’ delivered in the previous Victorian pay deals.

Merlino: The last agreement took too long and we acknowledge our part in that.

IEU: Victorian Catholic employers have always stalled, delayed, and frustrated negotiations. Now they want to ambush workers to avoid addressing key claims such as workloads, safety and ES classifications!

Merlino: It also delivered modest wage outcomes. We want to respond to that. What we’ve heard directly from you is that you want higher wages and you want a quick outcome.

And that’s exactly what we propose. A minimum 7% wage increase in January next year, the biggest single year increase for Catholic schools in 25 years. On top of that, continued guaranteed pay parity with the government sector and a sign on bonus of $1500 before Christmas.

IEU: Where do we start with how misleading and inadequate this is?

The VCEA’s “offer” would leave Catholic staff four more years behind their NSW colleagues, with a flawed “matching” clause that fails to guarantee parity with Victorian government schools. While the IEU log seeks 37% over three years and the AEU is demanding 35% plus structural changes, employers are “offering” nothing specific beyond 7% — nowhere near enough to fix wage losses since 2020 amid soaring living costs. They’ve also provided no real detail on leave, allowances, or conditions that affect incomes. If they were serious about a fair deal, they’d start with a 7% interim rise in January while meaningful negotiations occur under an SIA.

Merlino: Unfortunately, the union still hasn’t budged from their focus on the type of agreement, a single interest agreement. Our view is that a cooperative agreement is the best type of agreement to deliver for you and maintain the unity of all Catholic schools across Victoria.

IEU: Negotiating under the cooperative stream leaves workers bargaining with one hand tied behind their backs. It doesn’t deliver for workers. The sketchy VCEA so-called “offer” also ignores or puts crucial, hard-won work conditions at risk. If they had their way there would no discussion of the wind back of (amongst many other things):

Teacher attendance arrangements
Meeting caps and increased workloads at specialist and special assistance schools
Annual leave
Personal leave.

Merlino: This is a question of timing, and that’s entirely in your hands.

IEU: You’re darned right it’s a matter of timing! Employers have rushed this survey from the 20th of October to the 17th because thousands of staff members are signing statements of support for an SIA, which would grant fundamental rights to workers to enable fair bargaining. The idea that you will have a 7% pay increase and sign on bonus by Christmas is farcical. All you need to do is look at the fine print in the employers’ preamble to their so-called “offer”.

Merlino: On Friday you’ll receive an email with a unique link to a survey so you can indicate your support or otherwise to the proposed offer.

IEU: The IEU’s statement of support campaign is bound by strict rules and is being fastidiously collected so it carries weight at the Fair Work Commission. The VCEA survey is a non-binding fishing expedition. You can use it to send a message to employers that you do NOT want their sub-standard “offer” and you want an SIA for fair bargaining.

Merlino: If enough of you vote yes, then we’ll proceed to the next steps to deliver you a minimum of 7% wage increase in January next year. If the vote is negative we’ll align ourselves to the timing of the state government negotiations, which is likely to be late 2026, if not beyond.

IEU: The IEU is the official bargaining representative of staff and it cannot, by law, be sidelined. If Catholic Education were sincere about delivering a decent pay rise, they would offer a 7% interim increase in January while negotiations occur under an SIA. Millions of Australian workers - including public and private school educators - negotiate collective agreements with fair bargaining rights.

Merlino: And I want to stress, if you’ve signed the statement of support for the SIA, you can still absolutely vote in favour of this wage offer in the survey on Friday.

IEU: The IEU urges all staff to SAY NO to this sub-standard, half-baked so-called “offer” and sign a statement of support for an SIA. The SOS is a confidential document recognised by the Fair Work Commission and is not seen by your employer. The VCEA survey is an opportunity to remind the employer of their responsibilities to negotiate in good faith and deliver real, negotiated improvements for all staff.

Merlino: They are two completely different things.

IEU: If you support fair bargaining and want a proper pay rise, say NO to the employer’s so-called “offer”.

Merlino: Ultimately, it’s up to you.

We put forward what we believe is a really strong offer that puts dollars in your pockets sooner, because that’s what you told us you wanted.

IEU: The IEU’s massive survey and focus groups earlier this year showed that staff safety and workload ranked nearly as highly as pay among members’ concerns. It is up to you and your colleagues to resist short-term offers and push for bargaining that addresses these serious issues employers are ignoring.

Merlino: Please go to the website, read all the information, have a think about what this means for you and your family, and when you get the email on Friday, please vote yes.

IEU: We urge all staff to go to the IEU website to read the detailed claims for a better Agreement, and sign the statement of support. These 101 claims – developed through a deeply democratic process – cover every part of your working life, from safety and workload to wellbeing, and show why an SIA is vital.

Say No to the employer’s offer, sign the statement, and share it with colleagues.

Together, Catholic school staff can defeat an employer determined to lock us into second-class pay and conditions.

Translating Mr Merlino’s spin on so-called “offer” to Victorian Catholic school staff

“Eight weeks in eight days” – majority support builds for a Single Interest Authorisation in Victorian Catholic education

Mythbusting VCEA misinformation