Resolution, 20 July 2024: Branch Conference - Bargaining
That the AEU Branch Conference notes the significant bargaining processes and campaigning currently underway across early childhood, TAFE, disability and schools.
Critical to improving members’ working lives is campaigning for and negotiating industrial agreements that provide salaries and conditions that recognise the value and importance of the work of teachers, education support staff and leaders.
Conference applauds the long term campaign and advocacy of the Australian union movement to achieve fundamental and important changes to federal industrial laws, providing a fairer playing field for working people. Whilst we recognise there is still more change to be made, the Closing Loopholes Bill has delivered improvements and enabled the AEU to bargain for agreements that allow members to bargain together collectively across employers, and with the right to take protected industrial ac:on in support of achieving decent salaries and conditions of work.
Changes that allow members to pursue Greenfields agreements and provide the union with improved capacity to replace zombie agreements with updated and improved conditions of work in new agreements, will benefit AEU members in the early childhood and disability sectors.
Early Childhood
The Early Childhood (EC) sector continues to be plagued by multiple employers, and consequently multiple agreements, which result in members in different settings receiving different levels of pay and conditions for doing the same work. The AEU is committed to continuing to advocate and campaign to government, to see a consistent approach to employment across the early childhood education and care sector to ensure members are respected and valued for the critical work they do in developing the emotional, social and cognitive skills of our earliest learners.
With a long term aim to see early childhood education and care provided and funded by governments, in the interim we must see all EC teachers and educators receive at least pay parity with school sector employees. This must be delivered across all settings through collective agreements, allowing members to undertake protected industrial action to achieve their aims, and providing consistent conditions of work which set the industry standard.
Early Childhood education is delivered by highly qualified and experienced staff who provide the building blocks for children in their lifelong learning. They deserve respect because of the value of this work, and this respect must include fair remuneration.
Conference notes the commencement of negotiations in the community and local government sectors for the benchmark agreements, Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement (VECTEA) and Early Education Employees Agreement (EEEA). With more than 11,000 new employees required over the next ten years for the ongoing rollout of 3- and 4-year-old kindergarten programs, it is critical that the Allan government invest in the workforce to ensure staff are attracted and retained in the sector through the provision of decent salaries and conditions.
Branch Conference endorses the decision to campaign to achieve a single interest employer agreement (SIEA) across councils in the local government sector, and urges all EC members to campaign with colleagues to achieve a majority support petition across all councils in the event local councils refuse to negotiate a SIEA, and deny the opportunity to bargain collectively, with the right to take protected industrial action.
Branch Conference demands the Allan government approves the negotiation of a Greenfields agreement for early childhood teachers and educators to be employed in the 50 new government owned early childhood centres, five of which are due to open in 2025. It is unacceptable that government would allow their own employees to be employed under a Ministerial Order, which is not enforceable in the courts, rather than seong the standard in the sector. In addition, this is inconsistent with their own Industrial Relations policy. The AEU will campaign with members employed in these new settings this year to pursue a Greenfields agreement to cover their salaries and conditions of work.
TAFE
Branch Conference congratulates AEU TAFE members for the stand they are taking in fighting for improved salaries and conditions, in line with other AEU members in the schools and EC sectors, and due respect for the important education they provide. Conference notes that currently TAFE teachers’ salaries are approximately seven per cent behind similarly experienced school teachers.
After almost two years since the commencement of negotiations, the Allan government and TAFE employers have failed dismally to invest in their workforce, and acknowledge the value of their work to our community. They stand condemned, as the significant skill shortages across many areas, including disability, aged care, early childhood, and trades areas, cannot be addressed if they don’t address the TAFE teacher shortage.
The commencement of industrial action, in mid April, is the culmination of many months of campaigning and commitment by TAFE members. Branch Conference commends TAFE members for standing together to achieve majority support in each of the 12 stand alone TAFEs, for a SIEA, forcing the TAFEs and Victorian TAFE Association (VTA) to agree to the AEU’s demands to negotiate an SIEA, which after a successful protected action ballot, has allowed members to commence industrial ac:on in the form of bans and limitations on work and stop works.
Branch Conference supports the TAFE Sector Council’s decision to further escalate the campaign throughout 2024 to increase pressure on the Allan government and TAFEs, in the event they continue to put unacceptable offers on the negotiation table.
Branch Conference notes the ongoing negotiations occurring or required in dual sector locations, including Federation University, RMIT and Victoria University. Despite members concerns about inadequate salaries and workload:
- Federation University want to substantially increase teaching hours.
- RMIT put a non-union agreement to teachers which was voted down by AEU members.
- Victoria University staff received a 4% administrative adjustment with the employer dragging their heals rather than starting negotiations.
Disability
Branch Conference acknowledges the work done to achieve the extension of 11 zombie agreements which helps to ensure that members continue to receive superior terms and conditions compared to the award, and which enable AEU members to try to achieve a new multi-employer agreement. The supported bargaining application for members in these workplaces and a similar approach for members covered by the NGO MEA provides the union with an important opportunity to bring together members from dozens of workplaces on to agreements rather than rely on outdated single employer agreements or the award.
Conference calls for the federal government to provide sufficient funding so that the work of members in adult disability services is properly supported and respected and that they have pay and conditions which reflect their value.
Schools
Branch Conference notes the commencement of the campaign to achieve the next Victorian Government Schools Agreement, with negotiations set to commence in mid-2025. AEU members are to be congratulated for contributing to the first stage of the year long research project being undertaken with Monash University during 2024/2025. The project, investigating ‘What the Profession needs Now, For the Future’, will provide further valuable insight into the challenges currently being faced by the profession and suggestions for change, including salaries, conditions of work, staffing shortages, the provision of education, expectations and respect of the profession, and partnerships with parents/carers and the community.
Further opportunity for members to respond to recommendations and ideas throughout the year, culminating in the Log of Claims process in early 2025, will strengthen the voice of AEU members on behalf of their profession. The real knowledge, experience and expertise of AEU members will be essential in an environment where too many armchair experts with no education experience other than their own, are prepared to criticise public schools and public school staff and tell them what and how to teach and support their students.
Since the certification of the VGSA2022, which embedded the first face to face reduction in thirty plus years and brought the face to face maximums of Victorian teachers to the lowest in the nation, as well as the greatest amount of self-directed teacher :me in the nation, and the most substantial Time in Lieu entitlements in the nation, there have been significant improvements in salary in other jurisdictions. The Allan government must recognise that responding to the staffing shortage through both attraction and retention must include a wages offer which competes with other states and territories.
The Monash research will be critical in informing the log of claims process with members in early 2025, and for the AEU to utilise earned and paid media and undertake advertising in support of the campaign to achieve further improvements in salaries and conditions of work