Trinity staff asked to vote on flawed Agreement
Would you sign a contract full of mistakes? Trinity Grammar School has put a new Enterprise Agreement to a staff vote despite the unanimous opposition of employee bargaining representatives. And it's not just the pay offer that's the problem.
Trinity circulated the proposed Agreement to staff late on Friday without first providing it to the employee bargaining team for review. The IEU and employee representatives have identified numerous problems that should have been resolved before staff were asked to vote. These have been raised with the employer, but the school seems determined to proceed to vote.
A legally binding Agreement deserves careful, expert scrutiny. That's precisely why having a strong union and experienced bargaining representatives matters.
What's wrong with the proposed Agreement?
1. Trinity's salary advantage is disappearing.
Trinity has traditionally paid teachers a substantial margin over Victorian government schools. But under this offer, the premium at the top of the automatic teacher salary scale would shrink from around 12% in 2025 to less than 3% by 2029, while major claims for workload relief and improved conditions are rejected.
2. Under-Award ES salaries – haven't we been here before?
Last time around, the Fair Work Commission required Trinity to undertake to pay its lowest-paid Education Support Staff at the higher Level 1.2 rate. Yet the new draft has reinstated Level 1.1, at a salary below minimum Award rates.
3. Agreed improvements are missing.
Provisions agreed at the bargaining table – including a required attendance limit of 190 days per year, personal leave crediting and Delegates' Rights – have not been properly reflected in the proposed Agreement.
4. An existing redundancy entitlement has disappeared.
The current Agreement provides enhanced redundancy pay for employees with seven or more years' service, up to a maximum of 26 weeks' pay. That provision is missing from the new draft, whose redundancy table stops at 14 weeks' pay.
5. The drafting is riddled with errors.
Teachers are directed to the General Staff salary schedule. Clauses are incorrectly numbered. References point to entirely unrelated provisions. Agreed protections are missing, and other wording creates uncertainty about important entitlements.
These mistakes aren't just minor drafting errors - they may make some provisions unenforceable. This is the legally binding document that will determine staff pay, conditions and workplace rights for years to come.
Work at Trinity?
A NO vote is an opportunity to get this right.
Voting NO would mean this proposed Agreement has not been approved by employees. It would give staff the opportunity to return to bargaining, correct the document and press for a fairer outcome.
The IEU and employee bargaining representatives recommend voting NO.
Voting is open on Monday 19 October, 7:00am – 4:00pm