Victorian Catholic education campaign enters critical new phase
The campaign for a fair agreement and fair bargaining rights in Victorian Catholic education has reached a pivotal stage.
The IEU’s Single Interest Authorisation application, currently before the Fair Work Commission, covers 24 Catholic education employers, with final arguments scheduled to conclude on Friday 26 June.
That is a major achievement, built on the extraordinary efforts of IEU members, Reps and supporters across the state.
The IEU is now preparing to bring the remaining employers into the SIA process.
Staff at these employers not currently included in the SIA application will again have the opportunity to strengthen the fight for fair bargaining rights by signing a petition in support.
If a majority of staff sign the petition, the IEU can seek to bring every employer where there is a majority into the SIA process, further strengthening collective bargaining across Victorian Catholic education.
This is a critical step towards our key goal: a fairly negotiated Agreement that protects existing conditions, reduces excessive workload pressures and delivers meaningful improvements to salaries, safety and professional autonomy.
What do I need to do?
If you work at one of the employers not currently included in the SIA application, a new petition link will be sent to you during the school holidays. Please sign as soon as it arrives.
The sooner you sign the petition, the sooner you formally affirm your support for fair bargaining for a fair Agreement under a Single Interest Authorisation. In campaign terms, it is the next step in our Statements of Support campaign.
If you signed a Statement of Support last year - well done. You are already a supporter. Please quickly reconfirm your support by signing the new petition so you can be counted again.
If you did not sign last year - now is the time to add your voice. This is an important second chance to help win the stronger bargaining rights needed to win a fair Agreement.
Once you have signed, urge colleagues who want fair bargaining for improved pay and conditions to sign the petition too.
If you work at one of the 24 employers already included in the SIA application – congratulations, your efforts have paid off!
You do not need to sign another petition for your employer at this stage, as we now await the outcome of the Fair Work Commission hearing.
There are other ways you can support your colleagues in the remaining employers – you can help amplify our message through our social media channels, and you can remind anyone you know working in a relevant school of the importance of putting their name to the new petition.
If you’re ready to take your support to the next level, there will be opportunities for members to help with phone-banking efforts and other activities – contact us at info@ieuvictas.org.au if you want to learn more!
Why do some staff need to sign the petition of support again?
The IEU is confident of majority support for an SIA across Victorian Catholic education.
However, because of serious issues with employer workforce data, the further work it would take to prove this to the Fair Work Commission would have risked months of further delay.
The IEU’s objective remains unchanged: a fairly negotiated Agreement for Victorian Catholic education staff.
To best achieve that, while we await the Fair Work Commission’s decision on the current application, re-establishing clear majority support at the remaining employers means we will be ready to bring them into the SIA, if it is granted.
We know many members and Reps will be frustrated to be asked to do this again after last year’s extraordinary Statements of Support campaign.
We share that frustration - but this is the fastest and most effective way forward.
More staff than ever understand what an SIA is, why it matters and why signing the petition in support matters. Every petition signature is a clear statement that Catholic education staff want a fair agreement with fair outcomes on wages and conditions.
The quicker and stronger the response, the stronger our collective voice in bargaining.
Why we need an SIA: a refresher
To win an Agreement that delivers both fair conditions and meaningful wage increases, Catholic education staff need real bargaining power. Employers have shown they will not agree to the improvements staff need without you making your voice heard.
An SIA is important because it means we negotiate with the employers on a level playing field, without one hand behind our back. If granted by the Fair Work Commission, an SIA provides access to important bargaining rights, including good faith bargaining orders and, if bargaining reaches an impasse, a pathway to protected industrial action.
Unlike our colleagues in the government sector, staff in Catholic education do not bargain with one employer across the whole system. Under current legislation, this means that without an SIA we don’t have the same bargaining rights as our government sector colleagues. While employers could at any stage agree to an SIA, current legislation requires that for a union to unilaterally seek an SIA it must demonstrate majority support at each employer for whom we apply.
An SIA gives Catholic education staff important rights to be able to negotiate from a position of strength. That is why the petition of support is so important.
The inadequate employer offer
Bargaining negotiations continue alongside the SIA case, with the latest employer proposal failing to meet the expectations of staff who have spent years carrying increasing workloads while supporting school communities through challenging circumstances.
The employer offer would weaken a range of conditions IEU members have fought hard to win over decades.
Key concerns include:
increased teacher workload and reduced preparation time
reductions to overtime and time-in-lieu protections for education support staff
inadequate camp allowances and weakened time-in-lieu arrangements
restrictions on teacher flexibility to work off-site
a salary proposal that falls short of our members’ claim
reduced control over professional practice days
technical changes adversely affecting part-time and fixed-term employees
a lack of improvements to workplace safety and student behaviour support measures.
The proposal demonstrates that Catholic education employers remain unwilling to properly address the growing pressures facing staff across the sector.
Catholic education staff deserve a fairly-negotiated Agreement that improves working live, not an employer-driven process that weakens conditions won over decades.
Our campaigning power
The IEU’s case has been built on the extraordinary efforts of members across the state.
Last year, staff overwhelmingly rejected a cynical employer “offer” that sought to bypass the union.
They then built the SIA campaign, gathering nearly 20,000 Statements of Support — an inspiring demonstration of solidarity that continues to strengthen the case for fair bargaining rights across the sector.
That fantastic campaigning continued this year, with thousands of IEU members backing striking AEU colleagues on 24 March and participating throughout our Term of Action, highlighted by our colourful recent Day of Action.
Now we need to build on that momentum.
The new petition of support is the next stage of our campaign – another opportunity for members to demonstrate the collective strength that has brought the campaign this far.
The fight continues
For the Victorian Catholic education campaign, the coming months will be critical.
Every petition signature helps strengthen build our voice at the bargaining table.
Together, Victorian Catholic education staff have already achieved something remarkable.
The task now is to maintain that momentum, bring the remaining employers into the campaign, and continue the fight for fair wages, fair conditions and fair bargaining rights for every employee.
We are close.
Now we need to finish the job.
Employers where staff need to sign the petition of support:
Staff at the following employers will be asked to sign or reconfirm a petition of support during the school holidays:
CESL (Sandhurst)
Catholic College Sale
DOBCEL (Ballarat)
DOSCEL (Sale)
FCJ College Benalla
Mackillop Family Services
MACS (Melbourne)
MACS Specialist Schools
St Bede's College
St Columba's College.
VCEA
