VCEA’s latest offer unpacked
There’s real movement in the latest offer from the VCEA - but also a lot to be concerned about. We’ve combed through it to ensure that members know what’s on the table.
Summary
The good
Pay increases. Teachers 28.3%–32.4%, ES/SSO 28.3% (aligned to government schools). Principals/deputy principals: 29% plus. Diocesan office staff: 22%–29.7%.
$2,000 sign-on bonus (same as government schools).
1% position allowance for teachers, ES level 2-8 and above, and deputy principals (same as in government).
1% allowance for top of scale teachers, ES, SSOs and deputy principals (same as in government).
Introduction of camp allowance and guaranteeing 5 plus days off to recognise all out-of-hours duties.
No meetings in parent-teacher interview weeks (generally).
Higher leave entitlements – paid parental leave up to 18 weeks, paid lactation breaks, paid compassionate leave up to 5 days.
Special medical leave to manage chronic symptoms associated with endometriosis, menopause, PCOS, perimenopause, prostate disease and menstruation, of 5 paid days once sick leave falls to 15 days or less.
Natural disaster leave of 5 days.
8+ student-free days including 4 professional practice days from 2027 for teachers and relevant ES employees working directly with students. Focus of 2 PPDs nominated by the employee, 2 set by the employer.
The bad, or what must be improved!
Less teacher planning and prep time than in government. Up to 40 hours more after-school meetings per year. Assemblies/masses removed from scheduled class time with teachers required to give up prep time to attend.
Time in lieu – Out-of-hours duties would no longer be individually recorded or reconciled, with no stated annual cap on the duties covered by the five-day model. For ES, specified after-hours duties would no longer attract the current overtime/TIL arrangements and would instead be recognised through the five annual days in lieu, with the timing of those days determined by the employer.
Lower camp allowance (teachers $400, ES $250) than offered in government schools (up to $741).
Current TIL provisions removed from the Agreement – VCEA proposes the teacher TIL arrangements be contained in a deed/MOU, making them less secure and potentially harder to enforce than provisions contained in the Agreement.
Teachers restricted from absenting themselves from the premises unless it is “occasionally” and if it does not affect the school’s “operational needs”.
Major cuts to positions of leadership availability – pool to increase about 10% less than the allowances.
Lower allowance increases than salaries except medical support allowance. Recall allowances for ES increase about 8% less than salaries.
Would miss out on important leave improvements on offer in government schools, including no minimum period of service to access parental leave, and broader access to reproductive health leave.
Ad hoc additional hours worked by part-time teachers paid at CRT rates. Currently, additional hours are paid at the teacher’s hourly rate + loading. This would reduce payment for many higher-paid part-time teachers.
Part-time staff time fractions no longer rounded up – and teacher FTEs would be determined on a 38-hour-week basis rather than scheduled class time. This could reduce paid FTE for some part-time staff.
Specialist schools to have the same scheduled class time limit as primaries (regardless of year level) and no after-school meeting cap. No specific allowance or extra personal leave unlike in government.
Only the minimum rights for union reps already required by law. No guaranteed access to inductions.
Technical changes proposed which may diminish pay and conditions – including leave formulas and incremental progression effective dates.
Different Sale classifications to be kept but most other more favourable Sale conditions are proposed to be removed.
Redrafts of major leave clauses proposed including annual leave, parental leave and long service leave – but the IEU has not received any drafts all year.
Simplified redundancy process sought which would allow the employer to skip current steps in many cases, and restrict redundant employees being re-employed by the same employer within 12 months.
Detail & analysis
-
Latest VCEA offer
Teachers: 28.3%–32.4% increases (in parity with government).
Education Support Staff (ES) and School Services Officers (SSO): 28%+ (in parity with government).
Primary and deputy principals (DP): 29%+ (above parity) plus revised classifications further increasing minimum starting salaries.
Diocesan office staff: 22%–29.7%.
Increases backdated to 10/8/26 (same as government) only if in principle agreement with the IEU is reached by 15/11/26 – otherwise backdated only to the start of the month the agreement is reached.
$2,000 sign-on bonus (pro-rata for part-time staff) if employed at the time the agreement takes effect.
IEU members claimed increases of 2% above government schools, to reflect the expectations on Catholic school employees.
Position allowance of 1% of salary continued for teachers, ES at level 2-8 and above, and DPs up to 1 December 2029.
Top of scale allowance of 1% of salary, for top of scale teachers and DPs and top of classification level ES and SSOs, up to 1 May 2029.
Analysis
These significant increases would largely maintain parity with government and be consistent with school sectors interstate, but we need to see the proposed salary scales to confirm this.
The sign-on bonus is consistent with the government schools offer.
Currently, the pay increases on offer would be accompanied by reductions to existing conditions. See below.
These payments replicate those offered in government schools, but the government-school payments would continue beyond 2029 unless removed in a future agreement. Under the VCEA offer, the position and top-of-scale/classification allowances stop in 2029 unless renegotiated into a future Agreement.
-
Latest VCEA offer
No directed meetings in parent-teacher interview weeks unless absolutely required, and if it is required, then they will not occur either the week before or after.
Teachers restricted from absenting themselves from the premises unless it is “occasionally” and does not affect “operational needs”.
Full campus assemblies/masses no longer count towards scheduled class time in secondary schools if they fall during class focus time.
8+ student-free days that include 4 professional practice days (PPDs) from 2027 for teachers and relevant ES employees working directly with students. The focus of 2 PPDs may be nominated by the employee, with the other 2 set by the employer.
Analysis
Workloads during parent-teacher weeks are helped, but this falls far short of the annual 40-hour meeting cap and increased planning and preparation time on offer in government schools. Other changes proposed would reduce or diminish teachers’ workload conditions.
No improvements offered in relation to class sizes or planning and preparation time. Both would fall below conditions in government schools. Nothing on offer regarding workplace health and safety or challenging student behaviour.
Student-free days and PPDs would improve, but the proposal does not fully match the government-school arrangements. Under the government-school model, ES coverage is broader, employees have greater control over the focus of PPDs, and the days are additional to existing student-free arrangements.
-
Latest VCEA offer
5+ days in lieu allocated yearly by the employer to recognise additional out-of-hours duties required.
Would extend beyond teachers – ES employees directed to perform specified duties outside normal hours would receive time in lieu through the five-day model rather than the current overtime/TIL arrangements. The offer contains no stated annual cap or individual reconciliation of those covered duties.
No more recording of time spent on out-of-hours duties.
Current TIL provisions would be removed from the Agreement; VCEA proposes the teacher TIL arrangements be contained in an MOU/deed.
Camp allowance of $400 for teachers, principals and DPs, and $250 for ES, if required to stay overnight during the week.
The camp allowance is not payable for weekends, non-term time, extended stay camps or overseas trips.
Analysis
Potential improvements including payment for camps that extend to teachers and now ES and DPs.
But the camp allowance would be much lower than in government schools.
The ES amount may be lower than what ES would receive if they were paid overtime now (or even overtime under the award).
Much would be expected of staff in exchange for 5 days in lieu: unrecorded and variable out-of-hours duties with no stated annual cap or individual reconciliation; a lower camp allowance; and up to 40 hours more after-school meetings than in government schools. ES would lose access to overtime payments for the specified after-hours duties covered by the five-day model.
Moving the teacher TIL arrangements out of the Agreement and into an MOU/deed would make them less secure and potentially harder to enforce than provisions contained in the Agreement.
-
Latest VCEA offer
Position of leadership (POL) allowance rates increased 27.9% over the life of the agreement.
POL pool (which determines availability) increased 17.9%–18.9% over the agreement.
Recall allowances for ES, SSO and Education Officers increased 19.9% over the agreement.
Medical support allowance increased to $1,500 and then a further 13.5% over the agreement.
Placed/visiting teacher and school advisor allowances increased 27.9% over the agreement.
Analysis
POL pool increases are up on previous offers, after the IEU raised concerns.
But the pool increasing much less than the rates means major cuts to POL availability. Employers are also directing schools to no longer exceed the pool – that means even bigger cuts to POLs.
Medical support allowance improves.
All other increases would fall below the salary increases for school staff.
Recall allowances would drop, relative to the level it had previously been set for a long time.
-
Latest VCEA offer
Paid parental leave increased to 18 weeks for the primary carer, and partner leave can be taken within 12 months.
Paid lactation breaks.
Super payable reduced by any super received from the government for government-funded leave.
Compassionate leave increased to 5 paid days.
Special medical leave for chronic symptoms associated with endometriosis, menopause, PCOS, perimenopause, prostate disease and menstruation, of 5 paid days only once personal leave falls to 15 days or less.
Natural disaster leave of 5 paid days.
Analysis
Paid parental leave would be 2 weeks more than in government schools.
But government schools have been offered different and potentially more favourable improvements – for example, they will no longer require a minimum period of service before accessing parental leave, whether initially or subsequently.
“Special medical leave” would not be broadly available and will be more limited than government schools’ reproductive health and wellbeing leave.
IEU claims on compassionate leave and natural disaster leave appear to be accepted.
-
Latest VCEA offer
ES classifications – new Level 6 for CEMEA secondary-school ES roles (appointments require employer approval), separate school-based psychologist classifications, higher starting classifications for nurses (enrolled nurses to Level 3 and registered nurses to Level 4), and existing CEMEA Level 3-0 employees to translate to Level 3-1.
Reclassification process – employees would no longer need to prepare supporting evidence; the employer would assess all relevant information available.
VCEA proposes retaining the Sale classifications that are different in an appendix but removing most other Sale conditions that are different, for example Consultative Committee, consultation and dispute processes.
Casual relief teacher (CRT) pay rates stay aligned to the award but will not fall below government schools over the life of the agreement.
Ad hoc additional hours worked by part-time teachers paid at CRT rates.
Specialist schools to have the same scheduled class time limit as primary schools, regardless of year level, and no after-school meeting cap.
Delegates’ rights clause which includes 5 paid days for initial rep training and 1 day each subsequent year.
Leave clauses redrafted including annual leave, parental leave and long service leave.
Changes to leave formulas for personal leave, pro-rata non-term time pay, and pro-rata leave loading.
Incremental progression effective date moved to the first full pay period on or after 1 May for all employees; part-time FTE no longer required to be rounded up to 2 decimal places; and teacher FTEs would be determined on a 38-hour week rather than scheduled class time.
Simplified redundancy process.
Multiple steps no longer required if a redundancy follows a major change process.
12-month restriction on being re-employed by the same employer once made redundant.
Analysis
ES classification changes address some IEU claims but are relatively limited.
Other than retaining separate classifications where different, the proposal would remove a number of more favourable Sale conditions won in the current Sale agreement.
Part-time teachers would no longer be paid for ad hoc additional hours at their salary rate plus 18%. Most teachers are at the higher end of the pay scale and would now be paid less.
Diminutions to the conditions of specialist school staff. Unlike in government schools, no special school allowance ($1,250 a year) or extra personal/carer’s leave has been offered.
The VCEA’s draft delegates’ rights clause reflects only the minimum required under the law. The IEU’s claim for rep training is 3 paid days initially and then 2 days each subsequent year. Unlike in government schools, reps would also not be guaranteed access to the induction of new staff.
As it stands, what we know about these technical-sounding changes is that these would constitute diminutions to the pay and conditions of Catholic school staff. For example, the change to FTE rounding could leave some part-time staff up to hundreds of dollars worse off.
The IEU is still to receive any of these draft clauses since they were first requested early this year. We will not be able to reach in principle agreement until we are in a position to assure members that no critical protections will be removed.
IEU claims on severance provisions and staff facing significant reductions to their hours are unaddressed.