Tasmanian Catholic Agreement: IEU members are ready to bargain
FROM THE POINT, EARLY MARCH:
Reps from across the state met on 6 March to discuss and endorse the IEU Log of Claims for the next round of bargaining for better salaries and conditions in Tasmanian Catholic education.
Tasmanian Reps prepare for bargaining at training, early March.
This followed a period of consultation, during which all members had access to the 61-point Draft Log of Claims, which had been built on feedback from members, including last year’s survey results, and drew on the union’s experience supporting staff under the current Agreement.
Sub-branches reviewed the Draft and either endorsed it or proposed amendments and additional claims.
The endorsed Log of Claims now serves as the union’s starting point for negotiations with Catholic Education Tasmania.
As the sector entered a bargaining phase, the IEU emphasised the importance of strong, active sub-branches in every workplace. Members were encouraged to invite non-member colleagues to join the union and to get behind their Reps.
Valuing and supporting staff in Catholic Education
The IEU is calling for a single-interest Agreement that protects and improves existing conditions and reflects fair, equitable, and best-practice standards.
The Log of Claims states that the Agreement should guarantee wages and conditions at least equivalent to Tasmanian government schools, acknowledge the growing complexity and demands of the work staff are performing in Tasmanian Catholic schools, and ensure staff contributions are recognised.
It should also provide sustainable support, enabling staff to balance professional responsibilities with their personal lives. Adequate funding to schools is essential to deliver these improvements.
Highlights of the Log of Claims
Remuneration
Salary increases: 12% first year, 5.2% subsequent years.
Superannuation to 15.4%.
“Same job, same pay” for contractors; remove junior pay rates.
Simplified incremental progression and pay relativity for leadership roles.
Compensation for camp duties, supervising pre-service teachers, and practicum.
Workload
Retain 195-day annual attendance limit.
Limit out-of-hours meetings to 2 hours per week for all staff.
Preparation time for Teacher Assistants; better support for complex student needs.
Paid lunch break and right-to-disconnect provisions for all staff.
Fair compensation for extra duties (e.g., camps) for all staff.
School Support Employees
Better recognition and updated classification structures that reflect the work undertaken by all School Support Employees
Processes for requesting and assessing reclassification
Preparation time for Teacher Assistants within working hours, and improved support for those working with high-needs students
Teachers
Support for teachers managing students on Individual Learning Plans.
Protect planning time & compensate for missed release.
Supervisions counted in FTE and paid if over max hours.
Reduced instructional loads and clear class size caps.
Health and Safety
Improved reporting of systemic safety issues.
Limit surveillance; prohibit in private spaces.
Employer-funded vaccinations and Employee Assistance Programs.
Strengthened psychosocial hazard management and wellbeing initiatives.
Leave
12 days Reproductive Health and Wellbeing Leave.
Improved accident compensation, 10 days bereavement/compassionate leave, long service leave.
Modernised parental leave: 30 weeks primary, 8 weeks secondary caregiver; flexible, inclusive, and accessible after 6 months.
Pro-rata for part-time staff; leave for survivors of sexual abuse.
Performance and Conduct
Fair processes, including stand-downs, risk assessments, and support during investigations.
Other Claims
No compulsory transfers; improved grievance and implementation processes.
Reduced administrative burden; hard-to-staff and remote incentives.
Time allowances for IEU Reps and recognition of Delegates’ Rights.
Gender-neutral language, Fair Work compliance, induction access, and reasonable school facilities for union representatives.
Meanwhile, in the public sector …
In early March, the AEU Tasmania announced a new round of industrial action, including a ban on administering NAPLAN assessments, in response to the Rockliff Government’s refusal to negotiate a fair deal for Tasmanian educators.
This follows an intensifying battle right across the Tasmanian public sector for fair salary increases and better conditions. Unions representing public school, health, and other state employees — including the AEU, CPSU, and HACSU — have criticised the state government’s approach to enterprise bargaining and called on Premier Jeremy Rockliff to intervene. In early February, HACSU members staged a three-hour rolling stop-work at Launceston General Hospital and considered further industrial action.
In late 2025, thousands of AEU members and other public sector workers rallied statewide and stop-work actions delayed school openings in several regions.
The IEU fully supports the campaigns of the AEU and other public sector unions, and as our own bargaining commences looks forward to joining the call for better outcomes for all Tasmanian workers.