The week’s best education and union reads
Your one-stop shop for union and education news, from how COVID increases inequality to digital literacy inclusion.
Teacher shortage looms if working conditions don’t improve
Teachers reveal the increasing workload pressures they face after the ABC asks why so many of them are leaving education.
IEU Statement - Victorian outbreak
The over-representation of school staff in the latest outbreak underscores the urgent need for vaccination of our education workforce.
Best education reads
From the campaign for teacher vaccinations to ‘gamifying’ the classroom, here is the best education and union reading of the week gathered for your convenience.
Joint union statement & letter to Minister Hunt: Failed vaccine rollout leaves schools & communities unsafe
Teachers, Educators and Education Support Staff struggling to get access to vaccination has left schools and early learning centres unsafe, and society without a clear path out of the Covid-19 mess, three major education unions said today.
Teachers in NSW COVID hotspots granted priority vaccination access
After months of campaigning from unions, some Sydney teachers have finally been recognised as frontline workers in need of urgent vaccination.
How bilingual education succeeded in a remote indigenous community - from ABC News
The Yirrkala school 900 km east of Darwin uses a "both ways" approach, where a child's first language is taught alongside English, combining classroom teaching with input from elders on traditional lands.
How schools coped in lockdown - from theeducatoronline.com
A survey of 23,000 Victorian school staff, students and parents says independent schools fared reasonably well during 2020's mandatory lockdowns, but it highlighted the difficulties of remote learning, particularly for those in Year 12.
Minimum wage increase a win for unions, workers & the economic recovery
The Fair Work Commission decision vindicates decades of campaigning and bargaining by unions for rational wage levels. Wage growth keeps food on the table for millions and stimulates an economy reeling from the pandemic recession.
IEU pushes for paid vaccination leave
The IEU wants schools to provide paid leave during the school day so education staff can get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Get your (tax) affairs in order
It's not the end of the world, just the end of the financial year.
Superannuation changes at a glance
The most significant changes to superannuation in decades have passed Parliament. How will they affect you?
When things go pear-shaped: why you need your union
Teachers have plenty to read. But for those yet to join their union, the following testimonials should go to the top of the pile. Take heed of your peers and colleagues: you need experts on your side when the going gets tough.
Casual changes a looming disaster for millions
The Industrial Relations Omnibus Bill sounds tame enough, but it has shockingly anti-worker provisions that threaten the employment security of millions of Australians.
The fight for education staff to get priority coronavirus vaccinations
The IEU is amongst unions pushing for education workers to be prioritised on the vaccination list, saying they are in 'essential high-contact workplaces'.
Hi tech teaching: pitfalls and progress to emerge from the pandemic
The pandemic has created an opportunity for teachers to try technology straight out of a sci-fi movie. With mixed results.
Employee sacked for refusing flu shot
Can employers demand employees get vaccinated? In January, the ACTU saw the dangers of a ‘divisive public debate’ about whether vaccination should be compulsory in some workplaces.
COVID, floods make our contribution to Timor-Leste vital
Australian unions look after local workers, but they have always had a global vision. APHEDA, the global justice organisation of the Australian union movement, aims to assist the needy and fuel real change and growth across the world.
Experts says clean air is more important than clean hands
At the outset of the pandemic, it was drummed into us to social distance and wash our hands thoroughly. We were obsessed with not touching things which could be infectious or avoiding touching our face after we touched things.
From The Age: School sector calls for teachers to be vaccinated
The IEU and AEU, some schools and many teachers have back calls for priority coronavirus vaccination of school staff.