Southern schools unite in campaign solidarity
Reps and members from four schools make a stand at Mentone.
“If you cook, they will come!”
So said an IEU Organiser who helped set up a barbeque this morning for the IEU’s Victorian Catholic schools campaign on a chilly, foggy morning outside Mentone railway station.
The hardy crowd welcomed the generous breakfast options on offer, but they were after more than just warming carbohydrates.
Reps and members met before work to share bargaining ideas, plan next steps and discuss their members’ determination to press employers for fair bargaining rights and long-overdue improvements to wages and conditions.
Proving that the quest for fair pay and conditions for educators has support across all sectors, AEU members from Parkdale Secondary shared campaign ideas and compared bargaining notes with IEU members from Kilbreda College (Mentone), Killester College (Springvale), and St Bede’s College (Mentone and East Bentleigh).
IEU Reps helping run the event said their members “were all fired up” for the statewide Day of Action on Friday 29 May, with one predicting “the whole staff will come out” on the day.
Organisers said it was a fantastic morning that energised all who attended and gave them plenty to take back to their sub-branches.
“I reckon it’s the start of something big between those schools. When we need to do anything further in that region, they will be all over it.”
Public response was overwhelmingly supportive, with plenty of interaction in the busy hub where the event took place.
The IEU’s Victorian Catholic campaign Day of Action — the centrepiece of our Term of Action in Term 2 — takes place on Friday 29 May. Head to the campaign hub for ideas you can adapt to your school to mark the day.
