Victorian Catholic schools campaign: We need a pay rise!
While salary rates negotiated in our 2022 Agreements were competitive at the time, recent wins by education unions around the country have since left Victorian Catholic school salaries lagging far behind, creating staffing crises as cost-of-living pressures grow.
By the end of this year, teachers at the top of the scale in NSW will earn nearly 10% more than their Victorian counterparts, while the difference for graduate teachers will be over 13%. The situation for Education Support staff is harder to measure due to different classification systems, but their pay rates also require urgent attention.
It’s not just teachers and support staff feeling the pinch. Principals and deputies regularly put in huge unpaid overtime hours, with 91% saying their pay doesn’t reflect their workload.
The message from the IEU’s recent survey of over 3,200 members could not have been clearer: pay rises must be the top priority in the next Agreement. That’s why the very first item in our Log of Claims demands salary increases of 17% in the first year, 10% in the second, and 10% in the third.
One member summed it up simply: ‘It is becoming a struggle to work in the job I love while trying to keep up with cost of living’.
Pay dissatisfaction is widespread
Eighty-three percent of survey respondents ranked pay among their top three concerns – ahead of even workloads and wellbeing. Pay is now central to staff welfare, recruitment, and retention.
Across the sector, members report feeling trapped between flat pay and soaring expenses. Some are contemplating second jobs to make ends meet. Others are feeling pushed towards the exit, which will only exacerbate our current staffing shortages. These are not isolated experiences – they reflect a systemic problem.
It’s time to catch up!
After recent wins by NSW education unions, many teachers living near the border can see colleagues over the Murray earning thousands more for the same work.
As one member put it: ‘We need pay that is on par with other states at a minimum’. This gap undermines morale and makes it harder to attract and keep good staff.
The IEU has also won big increases in many Victorian independent schools, with some top teacher salaries approaching $140,000.
This is how enterprise bargaining works: unions win significant gains in one workplace or sector, setting new benchmarks that others can then pursue. In the last Agreement, Victoria led the way on workloads – most notably with the historic cut to scheduled teaching time. Now, it’s time to set the bar just as high on salaries.
Pay in Victorian Catholic schools has fallen behind, and the effects are being felt in classrooms and staffrooms across the state. To retain, respect, and reward the people who keep our schools running, a bold and fair pay rise is not just warranted – it’s essential.
There must be a significant wage boost across all staff groups in Victorian Catholic schools.
