Building a clearer, stronger Agreement in Tasmanian Catholic education
Changes to technical bargaining requirements and a backlog at the Fair Work Commission (FWC) resulted in further delays to the commencement of single interest bargaining for a new Tasmanian Catholic Agreement. FWC authorisation was finally granted on 12 August, allowing negotiations to commence in earnest.
Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) distributed the required Notice of Representation Rights to all employees on Monday 17 August. The IEU and CET negotiating teams will meet on Tuesday 25 August for a full-day meeting, at which both parties will table and outline their Log of Claims.
Despite the administrative delays to the commencement of formal bargaining, productive pre-bargaining discussions between the IEU and Catholic Education Tasmania have already locked in a meeting timeline for the year, dealt with several drafting and technical issues, and examined a wide range of issues, including:
Leave and entitlements: The IEU is preparing proposed wording on Annual leave, school holiday pay, long service leave and parental leave provisions.
Classification and work arrangements: Discussion covered deputy principals, teacher assistants undertaking supervision, VET teachers, part-time provisions and definitions, and individual flexibility arrangements.
Protecting new workplace rights: The IEU will provide proposed clauses covering delegates’ rights and the right to disconnect.
Specialist roles: Further consideration will be given to arrangements for employees working in areas including IMT, outdoor education, sport, performing arts and audio/sound technology.
Simplifying the Agreement: Both parties discussed improving clarity, certainty and accessibility through plain language, a better layout and an index.
Calendar proposal: Further discussion occurred about arrangements to ensure employees do not lose entitlements such as long service and parental leave. CET will provide a discussion paper.
Communication: CET intends to provide fortnightly updates to school staff. The parties agreed to raise concerns directly with each other before communicating them more broadly.
Bargaining meetings are scheduled regularly through the remainder of 2026, with 19 November identified as the final opportunity to settle drafting if the Agreement is to proceed to a ballot in 2026.
The IEU welcomed CET’s willingness to work collaboratively throughout the process. The union had been invited to review the documentation before it was formally submitted, helping identify and resolve issues early rather than risking delays later in bargaining.
IEU members endorsed their Log of Claims in April, with three clear priorities:
higher salaries
reduced workload
safer workplaces.
The union continues to reference the recent Tasmanian government school Agreements as an important benchmark. Outcomes in those Agreements include:
Support staff: average pay increases of approximately 11%, extra paid workdays, new career pathways, improved allowances, and stronger leave entitlements.
Teachers, psychologists, education support specialists and school leaders: pay rises averaging 8.75–9.01%, additional leave provisions, limits on after-school meeting hours, and improved workload protections.
The IEU believes that Catholic education employees deserve comparable improvements to their state sector colleagues, and we will pursue fair salaries, manageable workloads, safer workplaces and stronger conditions throughout bargaining.
As negotiations begin, members are encouraged to stay informed, talk with colleagues and continue building union strength. The stronger the membership, the stronger the voice at the bargaining table.