How to beat the return to work blues
We’ve gone a little left field to offer creative suggestions for hitting the ground running (or at least not crawling).
Strikes remain an option if workplaces are unsafe
Withdrawing labour remains a live option if more isn’t done for worker safety during the most transmissible phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.
From The Conversation: Australia about to feel the full brunt of teacher shortages
The Omicron wave is likely to exacerbate Australia’s existing teacher shortages and demanding workloads.
Teachers, unions demand safe schools
The start of the 2022 school year must be planned and cautious and education workers must be properly resourced, properly protected and properly consulted to minimise the risk of COVID-19 transmission.
From The Age: Teachers fight easing of isolation rules for close contacts
Teachers’ unions are pushing back against plans to allow school staff who have been in close contact with a COVID case to keep working on-site, warning the looming change will increase the risk of coronavirus spreading.
A safe return to school in 2022
To ensure the safety of staff, students and school communities, the Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania calls for the following provisions, safeguards and assurances:
Your education reading cheat sheet
Need a quick primer on what’s making news in education ahead of the return to school? Here’s your one-stop shop for all the latest.
Progressive holiday reading
You are what you read… Stock up on some nutritious mind food with this selection of education and union articles.
Know Your Rights: Understanding holiday pay
Holidays can be expensive, especially over the long summer break for school staff if they are only entitled to pro-rata leave.
From The Point: Pandemic job applications
If, as expected, there are more vacancies than usual this summer, how do you ensure you get the position you want?
New reps, unprecedented challenges
This was not an easy year to start out as a Rep. Here, some new Reps share how they performed their duties in another year dominated by lockdowns and remote learning.
From Australian Unions: Safe workplaces are union workplaces
The latest “Work Shouldn’t Hurt” (WSH) survey reveals that unionised workplaces are the safest.
From the Point: Know Your Country – boost indigenous education
A visionary campaign is calling on all levels of government to fund a locally approved First Nations educator in every Australian primary school.
How the Religious Discrimination Bill makes things worse for gay kids - from The Conversaton
Legal experts say the bill does nothing to protect LGBTQ+ students and teachers and allows more, not less, discrimination by religious schools.
Best education and union reads
From Australia’s COP-out in Glasgow to the national curriculum, here are some gems of recent writing, cherry picked for your reading pleasure.
IEU leads fight against discrimination in religious schools
The IEU is fighting hard for laws at state and federal levels to protect teachers from discrimination in religious schools .
A profession in distress – 84 percent of teachers think of quitting – from The Educator
A staggering 84% of Australian teachers have thought about leaving the profession in the past year, reports The Educator.
Climate change education can change the world as much as wind turbines
With the world hoping genuine change in policy will emerge from the upcoming COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow, Education International has revealed that climate education is “dismal” across the world.
Woodleigh College staff triumph in pay fight
Staff at Woodleigh College won a resounding, long-overdue victory in October, when they reached agreement on their four-year long battle for pay rises.