The Point: March 2013

Bargaining Roundup Page 5

The Great IR Swindle Page 7

Valentine’s Day Rally Page 10–11

Domestic violence and work Page 9

International Women’s Day Back page

print post 352524/00374

indePendent education union VIcToRIa TaSmanIa

Volume 3 no 1

maRch 2013

general secretary Deb james

I never thought I’d agree with Jeff Kennett, but …

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IEU members again gathered in force to protest inadequate and insulting offers from the state Government.

no love for Ted Baillieu on Valentine’s Day

On Thursday 14 February, teachers, support staff and principals from Catholic education right across Victoria gathered in the Treasury Gardens to express their anger at the Baillieu Government’s refusal to offer a fair pay deal.

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here were love hearts, balloons, a ballad or two and even a gigantic Valentine’s Day card, but no Valentine’s Day present from the Premier. Seventeen months after negotiations commenced between the Baillieu Government and the AEU, they still refuse to move from a ‘government wages policy’ of 2.5% per year. With no significant progress in negotiations, thousands of IEU members thought they had no choice but to take a day off work to loudly and publicly protest the government’s intransigence, and demand they return to the bargaining table with a fair and reasonable pay offer. With wages for staff in Victorian Catholic education tied to those of staff in government schools, IEU members have a vested interested in making sure this pay dispute draws to a close as quickly as possible, so the union can get on with finalising a new Agreement for Catholic education. Approximately 3,500 IEU members made their way into the city to find out more information about the dispute, and hear from IEU General Secretary Debra James and President Mark Williams. In addition we

saw comedian Damian Callinan run us through a special Ted Baillieu themed ‘Stations of the Very Cross’, heard IEU members from Salesian College perform a Valentine’s ballad for Mr Baillieu, and voted on some of the best handmade signs of the day. One of the highlights of the day was the huge Valentine’s card, signed by hundreds of IEU members, calling on Mr Baillieu to ‘have a heart and make us a fair deal’. Deputy Secretary Loretta Cotter, together with a delegation of members from St Francis Xavier Ballarat, personally delivered the card on behalf of the IEU directly to the Premier’s office. While it’s fair to say the security guards were less than impressed with our romantic gesture, they did at least promise to pass the card on. Members then joined thousands of other workers from the AEU, CPSU and other unions in marching to Parliament to send a loud and clear message to Mr Baillieu. As Debra James told the crowd, ‘If he’s not prepared to show the leadership that’s required to settle this thing, then he should step aside and let somebody else step up and do it for him’. more reports: page 3, 10 and 11

is stinging criticism of Ted Baillieu’s poor communication skills, and the suggestion they add to perceptions of a ‘do nothing’ government, has a ring of truth. He also rightly identified that the buck stops at the top, and argued that the government is reacting rather than leading. He says he doesn’t know what the hiccup is with the teachers dispute, and why it can’t be resolved. I hear you, Jeff. My theory is that the Baillieu government doesn’t know what they are doing. They sent their representatives to the bargaining table with a wages policy from which they have not moved in over 17 months. An allegedly immutable policy when it comes to education, but not so for other public sector employees who have achieved better outcomes in bargaining rounds or in arbitrated outcomes. Rather than reconsider their entrenched position and work towards a just outcome at the bargaining table, the government took the AEU to court with a desperate attempt to call into question certain matters in the AEU claim around which they had not previously raised a peep. The government’s ill-conceived communication about school camps being able to go ahead because staff can still work a 38 hour week on camp resulted in derision from all sectors. Ads in daily papers advising parents to send their children to school anyway on a day of industrial action were utterly irresponsible. The infamous promise to make Victoria’s teachers ‘not the worst paid, the best paid’ was the lie of a politician who never really expected to win, making a promise he never thought he’d be called on to keep, and now it has come back to bite him. While election campaigns are about promises, government is about delivering those promises and being accountable for your decisions.

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THE POINT March 2013

Contacts, calendar & contents ContaCt us

EDITORIAL/ADVERTISING ENQUIRIES T: (03) 9254 1860 F: (03) 9254 1865 FreeCall: 1800 622 889 E: [email protected] W: www.ieuvictas.org.au CONTRIbUTIONS & LETTERS from members are welcome and should be forwarded to: The Point PO box 1320, South Melbourne 3205, or by email to: [email protected] MELbOURNE OFFICE: 120 Clarendon Street, Southbank 3006 HObART OFFICE: 379 Elizabeth Street, Nth Hobart 7000 The Point is published by the Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania. EDITORIAL CONTENT Responsibility for editorial comment is taken by D.James, 120 Clarendon Street, Southbank 3006. Views expressed in articles reflect those of the author and are not necessarily union policy. DESIGN/SUbEDITOR

Deborah Kelly

COMMITTEE OF MANAGEMENT General Secretary Debra James Deputy Secretary Loretta Cotter Assistant Secretary (Tas) Angela briant President Mark Williams Deputy President Elisabeth buckley Ordinary Members Patrick bennett Coralie Taranto

Andrew Dunne Emma Wakeling

School Officers Margot Clark

Christine Scott

Maureen Shembrey

Council Presidents & Deputies Catholic Primary Council President: Christine Hilbert Deputy: Maree Shields Catholic Secondary Council President: Stephen Hobday Deputy: Ruth Pendavingh Independent Council President: Gregory Hawkins Deputy: Cara Maxworthy Tasmanian Council President: John Waldock Deputy: Jeremy Oliver Principals’ Council President: John Connors Deputy: Duncan Arendse

When

What

Where

Thursday 14 March

Health and Safety Refresher

Melbourne

Thursday 21 March

Experienced Rep Training

Melbourne

Friday 22 March

Equal Opportunity Seminar

Melbourne

Thursday 26 March

Rep induction day

Melbourne

Monday 8 April

CV Writing and Interview Skills

Melbourne

Wednesday 10 April

IEU/AEU CRT conference

Melbourne

Friday 12 April

Rep Training

Campbelltown, Tasmania

Tuesday 7 May

The Art of Communication

Launceston

Wednesday 8 May

The Art of Communication

Hobart

upDate your details

many members change schools, or positions within their school, at the start of the school year. If this is you, or you need to tell us of a new phone number, email address or other contact details, please call 03 9254 1860 or email [email protected]

what’s Got protection? The AEU in the Federal Court, the IEU in Fair Work – what happened and why

page 3

New Teacher and Principal profiles Different roles, same passion and commitment

page 4

Super and longevity Superannuation needs to cater for an ageing workforce

page 6

Dead, buried and cremated? Why IR ‘reforms’ are inevitable under a Liberal government

page 7

Dad and Partner Pay The latest addition to the parental leave scheme

page 8

The Asian Century Whitepaper What it could mean in class

page 12

Teacher Registration Renewal Important information you may need to continue teaching

page 13

Upcoming training Professional development ppportunities in Tasmania & Victoria page 15 The Anna Stewart Memorial Project What it is, and how IEU women can get involved

page 17

International News From Lebanon to Malawi, education news from around the globe

page 19

FooTy TIppInG 2013 The 2013 AFL season kicks off on Friday 22 March when Adelaide takes on Essendon (or maybe just some of the better players from Aberfeldie, Doutta Stars and Strathmore).

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ith the season finally underway, attention will be diverted momentarily from the Windy Hill storm in a windsock, Melbourne’s fines for not tanking and Demetriou’s constant state of denial about all the disasters happening on his watch. The best news for all supporters though is Mick Malthouse coaching Carlton. It is a match made in heaven. They both

thoroughly deserve each other. As soon as Mick gets the hang of the headphones, things should be fine. However if Carlton do lose the odd game early there is always a plentiful supply of young journalists Mick can rip into. So members, take up the challenge. Register for the competition and become eligible for the big prizes. Visit www.ieuvictas.org.au for more details.

March 2013 THE POINT

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News

members leapt over every obstacle to take part in the 14 February Day of action

Got protection?

eduCation unions PuRsued in FedeRal CouRt and CoMMission

In the lead up to protests on 14 February, both the aeu and the Ieu were in Court or the Fair Work Commission as a result of the respective employers seeking to halt the action. ultimately, employers learnt a timely Valentine’s Day lesson – the threat of legal action is an ineffective deterrent to workers in both sectors of Victoria’s education system as they continue to press the state of Victoria to finalise negotiations and deliver a fair outcome to teachers and education support staff.

The State of Victoria Injunction application against the AEU and CPSU On 7 February lawyers made an application in the Federal Court seeking an injunction ordering the action to be stopped on the basis that the agreement sought by the AEU and CPSU could not be approved by Fair Work. The argument was that when Victoria referred its industrial powers to the Commonwealth, it reserved some matters from the referral. The matters not referred included matters pertaining to the number, identity or appointment (other than terms and conditions of appointment) of employees in the public sector. Broadly speaking, these were the matters identified in the 1995 High Court case known as Re AEU that were determined to be not capable of being part of a federal agreement as applicable to public sector employees in Victoria. The case of Re AEU recognised that the State needed to be able to “hire and fire” employees as it saw fit for the proper management of its business. The State of Victoria went on to argue that, because the AEU and CPSU’s claim and proposed agreement contained clauses that pertained to non-referred matters, ‘the impugned clauses’, the whole agreement couldn’t be approved, meaning that related protected industrial action was not capable of being taken. The impugned clauses included items limiting the use of casual employees, limits on the use of fixed term contracts, provision to move fixed term employees to ongoing employment after a period and internal advertising of positions. While Justice Jessup indicated that there was an argument to be tested in relation to the ‘impugned clauses’ he was wary of granting an injunction to stop the industrial action scheduled for 14 February. Richard Niall, Senior Counsel for the unions submitted that it was ‘passing strange’ that the State of Victoria had only raised concerns about the impugned clauses weeks out from the industrial action, despite being aware of the clauses since at least the start of 2012. At all times the clauses have formed part of the AEU and CPSU’s claim and had not been the subject of any objection previously from the State. In the circumstances, the Court didn’t grant an injunction to halt the action, on the basis that the State of Victoria had not made out that the industrial action would be either unlawful or unprotected. In addition, the Court perceived that the length of time between the unions making their claim and the application being made suggested there was no true urgency to justify the granting of an injunction. In the course of argument, Justice Jessup also made comment that to stop the action at this late stage would significantly interfere with workers’ rights to pursue their claim. The matter will continue on the substantive issues. However, these may well not reach trial until well after the negotiations to finalise the State Government agreement have been concluded.

the CeCV injunction application against the ieu Just days before IEU members working in Catholic education were set to join colleagues from the AEU and CPSU in the day of protest against the Baillieu Government’s refusal to make a fair wage offer, the CECV made an application for an injunction to stop the IEU from going ahead with the action. This move came as no surprise, following a similar application being made prior to the protest action on 5 September 2012. The CECV sought the injunction on the basis that the Fair Work Act provides that protected industrial action cannot be taken in pursuit of a MultiEnterprise Agreement. Therefore, any industrial action taken must be considered unprotected. The Fair Work Commission is bound by the legislation to make an order declaring the proposed action unprotected. The issue argued on 11 February was the extent of the orders and their application. The CECV sought orders against the IEUA and its delegates, officers, employees and members that they: n not organise or engage in the stoppage

n not authorise, incite, advise or persuade members to engage in the stoppage n not threaten or propose to do any of the above things n not maintain any incitement, advice, persuasion or encouragement to participate in the stoppage n use email, Facebook and twitter to inform members that the stoppage on 14 February 2013 was cancelled and that members should not take part in the ‘Day of Protest’. Orders were made that the action was unprotected. However, the orders were only made against the IEUA and its employees and officers. This meant that the orders did not apply to the IEU’s already well organised reps and members. Given the orders were not operative until 9.00pm on 11 February, much of the work of organising the day of protest had already been done. The IEU and its employees and officers were ordered not to organise or engage in the action as set out above. No order was made requiring the IEU to tell members that the action was cancelled. In the days following the orders, the CECV made requests via their lawyers for this to occur. However, the IEU’s legal advice was that this was beyond the requirements of the orders. Suffice to say, despite this costly and time-consuming legal action, the Day of Protest went ahead with huge turnouts from members of the IEU, the AEU and CPSU. Education staff know they have a right to pursue a fair pay deal from the Baillieu Government, and will continue to stand up for their rights, whatever is thrown at them by their employers.

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THE POINT June 2012

News PrinciPal Profile

I survived the ﬁ rst month! Kirstee Cananzi, year 6a, our lady of the Immaculate Conception sunshine

KaRen BeRGin

Karen Bergin was thrilled to take up her first appointment as a Principal at St Peter’s Catholic Primary School South West Sunshine at the beginning of term four last year. She quickly became aware of just how complex and diverse the myriad of tasks encompassing her role are.

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aren’s initial reactions to her new appointment have been positive – she’s finding the new role really exciting. She was aware that parents, children and staff were looking to see what type of leadership style she will exhibit at St Peter’s. The role of Principal can be consuming, yet Karen has found the school staff to be extremely supportive and this has aided her transition. As an educational leader, Karen knows retaining this as a focus is going to be a challenge as other competing agendas such as school finances and building programs vie for her attention. Karen found that her previous experience as Deputy Principal of St Paul’s Sunshine West was invaluable in helping her make a transition to principalship. She’s also receiving some much appreciated mentoring from Damian Casamento, her neighbouring colleague (and previous principal) who she says is on speed dial! Damian’s willingness to assist wherever possible has been a source of constant reassurance for Karen. Karen will be involved in the Catholic Education Office Melbourne’s Principal Induction program and recognises that building up a supportive network is essential to her well-being. Karen believes in the principle of ‘honest feedback’ and she welcomes the opportunity to learn from others. A passionate educator, Karen has a clear vision for St Peter’s. The children come from diverse cultural backgrounds and many of the families speak a language other than English. In this diversity Karen recognises the richness of areas like the Western Suburbs and the important role the school plays in building partnerships with families who come from many different countries. Karen is grateful to her predecessor, Amando Gagliardi, who utilised the Building Education Revolution and other grants to create an attractive learning environment with contemporary learning tools, including a recently added multimedia centre and sports stadium. As a consequence of the building works and the growing popularity of Sunshine, St Peter’s is growing steadily as this year has added another class. Karen wisely recognises the importance of getting to know her community and is investing time building positive relationships with staff, parents and children. Karen’s philosophy is that relationships grow out of respect and trust and it is within this framework that she will relate to others and expect the same in return.

Choosing a career in education was easy – in fact it chose me! In 2008 I naively entered the Prep classroom of my five-year-old son as a parent-helper in literacy, totally unaware that my ideal career path was awaiting me. By the end of that year it was crystal clear to me that I wanted (and needed) to be teaching in a classroom. I signed my next four years away to successfully completing my Bachelor of Education and was fortunate enough to be offered a position at Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception Sunshine teaching Year Six. Whilst I am undoubtedly the ‘new person on the block’, not for a minute have I felt anything but acceptance, encouragement and support from all staff at Our Lady’s Sunshine – I felt this from the very first time I was interviewed. I have mentors both at class level and coordinator level that not only assist me but manage to answer my surely tedious questions with a smile! I have now been in the classroom for a month. Like a rollercoaster ride it is fast, frantic and fun and on some days it takes a while for my head to stop spinning - but at the end of the day I always leave school knowing that I am doing what I love. The most challenging aspect of my role so far is time management – I can’t believe how much there is to fit in to every single day! The most rewarding aspect is seeing my students’ faces every morning as they walk through the door at 8.30am and greet me with ‘Good morning, Mrs

Cananzi’ – whatever went wrong yesterday is a distant memory as a bright new day begins for all of us. I am surprised every day by what my students say and do, but the most surprising aspect of my role so far would have to be how quickly I have become attached to my students. They all have such special individual qualities that seem to shine just when I really need to see that ‘something extra’ from them. I have two children of my own but on most days it seems like I have an extra twenty six that almost seem like part of my family too! This year, I am most looking forward to assisting my class to not only grow academically but socially, emotionally and spiritually as well. Before I started teaching this year I was told by many friends that have been teaching for years that there is always a moment in Term Four that, as the teacher, you turn around one day and it suddenly dawns on you that the students seem so much bigger (in more ways than one). I am looking forward to that day! I became a student member of the IEU at university, and the decision to become a financial member this year was not a difficult one for me. I view my membership as a ‘safety net’ – I hope I don’t need the legal support and representation, but it is reassuring to know that it is there if I do. Teacher pay disputes aside, the union is also good for some perks like cheap movie tickets– I do love a good romantic comedy but maybe in Term Two, I’m just too busy in Term One!

poRTaBle enTITlemenTS

aCtu secretary Dave oliver has declared unions will campaign for better job security in australia, beginning with a national portable entitlements scheme.

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peaking to the National Press Club in Canberra on 6 February, Oliver said job and income security would be over-arching themes for unions in the 2013 election year. He also called on Opposition Leader Tony Abbott not to shut the door on people if he is elected, warning that almost 300,000 union members in marginal seats would be mobilised in coming months to hold all political parties to account. ‘We believe that the policies that have made Australian jobs the best jobs in the world need to be defended,’ Oliver said. ‘Australians see the standards we had built up collapsing, and they fear not only for their own jobs, but for the jobs they worry might not be there for their children. So the union movement will focus on job and income security, and the things that have always been a part of the Australian fair go at work.’ Oliver said reversing the trend towards insecure work would take years – as did the historic creation of a universal super guarantee – but unions had identified priorities for this election year. One will be a national scheme for portable leave entitlements, transferable from one job to the other. ‘Many people have two or three employers one week, and the next week just one,’ Oliver said. ‘Entitlements we all agree should be the right of everyone with an Australian job – things like annual leave and sick leave – don’t translate very well. ‘If you’re doing nine hours at one childcare employer and 18 hours at another, and you get sick, at the moment, you probably have no right to sick pay from either boss. ‘Now, some industries have solved this problem. As

Australians, we work hard, we deserve our holidays. When we get sick our bills don’t stop – we need to know we’ll still be able to make the rent or mortgage. They are things that every working Australian should have. The way to achieve that is through a national scheme to make those entitlements available to everyone, by making them portable.’ Unions have already been campaigning on the other priority: protecting weekend and penalty rates, under attack in Parliament and from employers in the Fair Work Commission. Oliver said the next step would be seeking to have weekend penalty rates enshrined in legislation so they can not be removed. Looking ahead to the election, Oliver said Tony Abbott had shown that he was no friend of working people. The ACTU is adapting the Your Rights At Work model of broad-based community campaigning into a campaigning infrastructure not just for the election, but for years beyond it. ‘This election period is simply the first step for unions to begin building our capacity to campaign together across all industries for common issues,’ Oliver said. ‘During the next months, union members will mobilise and get the message to all workers in our workplaces about the things that we want government to do to improve our jobs and our lives outside of work.’ Oliver said Tony Abbott would be very unwise to ignore the interests of working people, and called on the Coalition to make a commitment not to attack pay and conditions. ‘Will you make a commitment to Australians, to Australian jobs and to working with the Australian unions that defend them?’ Oliver asked.

August March 2012 2013 THE POINT

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Industrial

bargaining for 2013 off to flying start the end of 2012 involved a lot of activity around finalising agreements which has come to fruition at the start of 2013. the year is off to an excellent start, with new agreements approved at: Kingswood College: 3% salary increase for 2013, a minimum 3% increase for 2014 and review by the bargaining representatives to ensure wages are competitive for 2014 and 2015 St Michael’s Grammar: Agreement covers all staff employed by the school and provides a 3.8% increase for 2013 together with a commitment to maintain wages of at a minimum of 3% higher than comparable Victorian Government School wages for the life of the agreement St Catherine’s Toorak: 3.5% a year Monash University Foundation Year:3.5% for 2013. 2014 and 2015, reduction in attendance days from the previous greenfields agreement and improvements to face to face hours. Aitken College: pay increases of over 3% for each year of the agreement and a significant improvement to the pay scale with a reduction from 11 levels to 8, providing improved pay at all points of the scale. All School Support Staff have moved to a single scale, containing bands, which also delivers improved pay levels on translation to the new pay structure. Lowther College: annual increases of 3% over the 4 year agreement. Workload concerns were acknowledged by a significant reduction in face to face teaching hours being included in the agreement, effective from 2014. After 18 months of meetings to reach an agreement at Melbourne Girls’ Grammar, staff carried a ‘No’ vote, refusing to accept the proposed agreement. The current agreement provides for 14 weeks nonattendance time for teachers. The proposed new agreement sought, despite employee representations at the table, to increase attendance time by up to 4-5 days a year for teachers. General staff have provided strong support to teachers, recognising that erosion of conditions could have implications for all staff. As a result of the ‘No’ vote, the parties have agreed to return to the bargaining table in term 2. Management has advised that all conditions will be up for renegotiation. However, it is hoped that in the interests of finalising the matter and passing on pay increases to all staff, the new negotiations will move promptly to the core issues in dispute. Agreements are in the process of being lodged for approval at Braemar College, Korowa Girls’ School, Strathcona and Methodist Ladies College. At each of these schools maintaining a wage margin above State rates has been an important factor in the negotiations. At Korowa, for example, the agreement provides for a wage increase for 2013 and for the Consultative Committee to meet in Term 3 of 2013 and 2014 to discuss wage increases for the following years, with the IEU to be notified of the negotiations. The issue of attendance time for teachers has been a significant issue in bargaining. Experience at MLC and Melbourne Girls’ Grammar shows that strong staff opposition to employers seeking to add to already demanding workloads can be successfully resisted at the bargaining table.

Negotiations of interest At The Geelong College negotiations are close to

concluding. One of the most important issues for teaching staff at the College has been the operation of the College’s co-curricular program. The College has agreed to a review of staff involvement in the program, with a view to ensuring equity and appropriate recognition of contribution. At Bialik, our claim to increase paid parental leave from 12 weeks to 14 weeks has been met with an offer, put by the ISV, to agree to 14 weeks on condition that the employee must return to employment for at least 12 months or be required to pay back a proportion of the paid leave. The IEU and employee representatives are resisting this proposal strenuously. Negotiations with Study Group for teachers’ conditions at the Taylors English Language Program have become contentious after a pay offer combined with an offer to largely adopt the same conditions enjoyed at Taylors College was withdrawn and replaced with a much less favourable deal. Staff across Taylors, Embassy and TELP have agreed to support any necessary industrial action or application to the Commission to ensure TELP staff are given equitable conditions. At Mentone Girls’ Grammar, negotiations have reached an impasse, following the school acknowledging that it has rejected every one of the employees’ claims. In addition, the employer has not made a claim, but instead provided a draft agreement that significantly reduces a number of conditions for all staff compared to current conditions. The school initially proposed to pay new School Assistants award wages and to freeze existing staff wages until award wages catch up (which would be some 10 years or more away). Following further negotiations, this proposal is under review. However, the school is maintaining its intention to remove the Consultative Committee, adopt Modern Award attendance time conditions for teachers, and reduce personal leave entitlements for all staff.

Negotiations are continuing or getting underway at: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Berry St Ballarat & Clarendon College The Knox School Plenty Valley Christian College Plenty Valley Montessori St Leonard’s College PLC The King David School Mount Scopus Memorial College Newhaven College PEGS Preshil Kilvington Grammar School Ballarat Christian College Firbank Grammar School Embassy CES Language Centre St Paul’s Anglican Grammar School Beaconhills College Billanook College (teachers) Carey Baptist Grammar School Lauriston Girls’ School (teachers)

BeTTeR BaRGaInInG SemInaR

Anyone who has ever played a part in the negotiation of an Enterprise Agreement would know that it’s a complex business. Bargaining representatives from a number of Victorian independent schools came into the IEU office recently to learn more about the ins and outs of negotiation from both a legal angle and in terms of how to best push for a fair deal. The Better Bargaining Seminar covered topics including how to develop a Log of Claims, the basics of Awards, Agreements and the National Employment Standards, and the rights of members and the union throughout the negotiation process. Reps also looked at how to make sure they know how strongly staff feel about particular issues and importantly how to let the employer know that as a Rep they are pursuing a broadly felt agenda and not some personal or marginal campaign. The IEU is bargaining in increasing numbers of schools and has a strong history of achieving excellent outcomes for members. IEU officers attend bargaining meetings with members, but having knowledgeable IEU members at the table is a really important part of achieving a good outcome. Depending on demand, the union may run another seminar on Better Bargaining later in the year. Let your organiser know if you are interested.

TaSmanIan BaRGaInInG upDaTe

On 4 February the Catholic education employers finally provided their long-awaited Log of Claims to your union and distributed it to all employees in Catholic education. The employers group represents the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office for the majority of Catholic schools as well as the two other school employers, Dominic College and St Virgil’s College.

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t is in the direct and immediate interest of all members and other employees in Catholic education to carefully read the employers’ list of ‘Enterprise Bargaining Priorities’ so that you are aware of what the employers are seeking. Already teacher members are expressing concern about the employers’ number one priority, being a claim to ‘move away from the overemphasis by some on the counting and keeping of hours and minutes of work’. We have also had many support staff members expressing alarm in

regard to the employers’ Claim 2, ‘to apply annual percentage salary increases for non-teaching support employees separately from that of teachers’. There are negotiating meetings scheduled on a regular basis from February – July. To date the IEU has presented in detail on some sections of the IEU Log of Claims including: Professional Development; Induction; PartTime Work and Work-Life Balance; Workplace Health and Safety and Employment Security. We will keep members updated as the bargaining continues to unfold.

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News

Absolutely Super

from the President

Welcome to the new year!

KEATING oN ThE rISK oF LoNGEVITY

Welcome to 2013. I hope everyone’s year has started smoothly and that you have great success in your various roles in education throughout the school year.

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would like to take this opportunity to welcome new staff to our Independent and Catholic schools in 2013 and particularly those who have recently graduated from University life to the ‘hit the ground running’ life of schools. Welcome also to you graduates as new members of IEU Victoria Tasmania! You have joined a committed group of fellow educators who are like-minded in defending the rights of all nongovernment education workers and who value fairness and justice for all who work in our industry. As much as it is sad to say farewell to staff who have contributed significantly to our schools in the past years, it is incredibly motivating to firstly interview new, young staff, hear their stories and then to employ them because you are so impressed by their commitment to learning, their already apparent professionalism

and their enthusiasm to take on any challenge with hardly a blink of the eye. I employed four new teachers for this year, three of them graduates, and it really feels like there has been an injection of enthusiasm in the staff as a whole. When I look back too long ago, to when I graduated in 1979, graduates (in Catholic primary education) were allocated to a school without interview, if you were lucky, an experienced teacher might have been assigned to assist you and that was about it. Schools at that time were not committed to any concept of ‘team’, were generally very poorly resourced, no off the shelf ‘programs’ existed, so even as a graduate, you fended in every way by yourself. You literally ‘sank or swam’ on how naturally you were suited to being a teacher. Thank goodness for the many dynamic changes in education since those ‘bad old days’ and the many changes which now benefit new staff moving into schools.

When I employed three graduates at the end of 2012, I knew immediately an induction program would need to be initiated, mentors sought and appointed, and there would be external minor resource provision and graduate professional development offered by the Union and CEOM. I also knew, because of the tremendous research base developed in schools since the ‘80s around staff relationship building, management of change and team building, that all staff already knew of their joint responsibility in assisting and developing each other and particularly in inducting new staff into the learning culture of the school. I hope and confidently trust that all staff in schools take up this professional responsibility to ensure new teaching staff are not only welcomed but formally and informally coached, mentored and guided to seek perfection in what is a most rewarding career.

wishful thinking

Great Expectations

Over 2012, Victoria’s Ballieu Government outlined a number of new directions and expectations for schools and teachers. Three policy-focused documents were released last year which place even greater demands on schools to increase school-level programming and resource commitment.

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t the same time, however, the Victorian government dealt a serious blow to school funding by decreasing funding to government schools, and, as a result, the funding basis for state funding to nongovernment schools has also been significantly decreased. On top of this, of course, staff in schools are still waiting for the government to reach agreement over a decent pay rise. June last year saw the release of an ambitious and challenging Draft Plan for Implementing the Victorian Government’s Vision for Languages Education. The government’s position is that a) by 2025 all government students from Prep to Year 10 will be learning a language, b) by 2020 ambitious targets will be met to ensure larger numbers of students will be competent in a

target language, and c) a quarter of VCE students will include a language as part of their senior secondary program. In the same month, a controversial discussion document entitled New Directions for School Leadership and the Teaching Profession was released for comment. The document largely adopts the sole education goal of lifting the performance of Victoria’s students into the global top tier of countries through a raft of measures based significantly on the concept of competitive, performance-based reward and punishment. Finally the government released in December its response to the recommendations of the Education and Training Parliamentary Committee Inquiry into the Education of Gifted and Talented Students.

dePuty secretary loretta Cotter Of the 65 recommendations, the government supported all but two – the establishment of a Gifted Education Unit within DEECD, and the employment of a government Gifted Education Advisor. How on earth will they resource and support schools to achieve the other 63 recommendations? The Report of the Inquiry claims that ‘the Victorian education system is clearly not meeting the needs of gifted students’ It also notes that ‘gifted education must be provided by every teacher in every classroom in every school in Victoria.’ Combine these increasing expectations with a refusal to negotiate a fair pay outcome and it’s no wonder Victoria’s teachers are furious with the Baillieu Government. Anything else, Mr Premier?

The Honourable Paul Keating, one of the chief architects of the Australian superannuation system, gave a keynote speech at the recent Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA) conference in Sydney.

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r Keating provided a comprehensive overview of the thinking behind the then revolutionary idea which he said came from ‘the sea change in the economy and society which produced the co-operative model adopted and operated between 1983 and 1996’. In his view the policy of industrial co-operation and social justice was generated from a productive economy. He then alluded to the idea of longevity risk and stated that when the system was designed it was intended to support people in the 55 to 75 age group. Because people are living longer (‘if you get to 60 you have a reasonable likelihood of getting to 85’), Mr Keating concluded that there was a real risk that many people would outlive their superannuation savings (longevity risk) due to inadequate contribution levels. With the increase in life expectation, he proposed a rethinking about retirement savings to cater for two groups: n Age 60 to 80 – about retirement living and lifestyle (Superannuation Phase 1); and n Age 80 to 100 – about maintenance and disability (Superannuation Phase 2). In brief, Mr Keating proposed two possible solutions to the longevity problem. The first would involve preserving a portion of the lump sum at retirement as a deferred annuity which would be available to the individual upon attaining the age of 80 or 85. Around 20% or 25% of the lump sum would compound over a 15 or 20 year period until Phase 2 of retirement kicks in. The second possibility would include an extra 3% (15% in total) contribution to be devoted to health, maintenance, income support and aged care. This would be administered by the government as a universal insurance scheme which would be fully funded by the extra 3%. In essence it would be a government managed longevity insurance fund. In relation to the current system, Mr Keating noted that in the system he set up people over age 50 could salary sacrifice up to $100,000 at a time when discretionary income was higher with grown up children and mortgage paid off. He noted that the current government has

reduced the limit to $25,000 per annum for salary sacrifice and criticised this amount as ‘simply too little’. In his view the reduced tax revenue for the government today if the caps were increased would reduce the risk later for its funding obligations. Mr Keating concluded his presentation by making several remarks on investment. In his view members’ expectations as to rates of return in super were too high. He considered that high single or double digit returns were not possible over the long term because of the sheer size of the superannuation pool of money. These expectations cause managers to search for yield in riskier asset classes such as shares. He noted that compared to OECD countries, Australian super funds on average were highly weighted to equities and recommended a reduction of risk upon reaching a certain age. On the topic of franking credits which were introduced around the same time as compulsory super, Mr Keating warned that super funds should be ‘vigilant’ in protecting this benefit because Treasury has never liked it, as they view it as a loss of tax revenue. ‘Never let them do it’ warned Keating as the franking credits flow back to Australian superannuation fund members rather than as profit for overseas corporations. The presentation concluded with a warm round of applause as Mr Keating, once again, provided the delegates with much food for thought and possible future directions for the national retirement savings pool. Bernard O’Connor (NGS Super) ([email protected]) • source: PJ Keating’s speaking notes (Important information: The information in this article is general information only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a financial decision, please assess the appropriateness of the information to your individual circumstances, read the Product Disclosure Statement for any product you may be thinking of acquiring and consider seeking professional advice.)


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Feature tony aBBott’s motivations revealed

the great industrial relations swindle

yet again, Industrial relations is set to be the battle ground for this year’s Federal election. Didn’t tony abbott tell us that ‘WorkChoices is dead, buried and ects note cremated’? Wasn’t Ir the big issue resolved in the 2007 election? Can’t we have a period of stability? Why will Ir laws never fall into the background? Funds

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here are two reasons why the conservatives push the IR barrow at every 00 per opportunity, and neither of e and them have anything to do with simply workplaces at all. reduced The first and most obvious nment reason is that, while the reased conservatives get most of their er for its election and slush funds from corporations and the privately his wealthy, the Labor Party depends everal heavily on unions for income n his and foot soldiers. Anything that ons as damages unions or reduces their were membership and income helps hat high the conservatives to get elected, urns and nothing causes people to e long walk away from unions like a r size corruption scandal. The HSU ol of story has been milked endlessly, ns cause and is far from over. The smear eld in has caused workers to resign from as shares. (or not join) other unions run by to OECD hard working officials utterly er funds dedicated to protecting their weighted members. No doubt an incoming nded a conservative government will set ching a up an inquiry into unions to see if there might be any more electiong credits winning salacious stories. In the round meantime, the damage to unions sory from the HSU story should be d that enough for the 2013 election, and gilant’ that puts the Fair Work legislation because on the election agenda. t, as Anything that reduces the ax capacity of Unions to defend do it’ their members works well for anking the conservatives. People quit alian unions saying things like ‘I never mbers see them’ and ‘they didn’t do verseas anything for me.’ The plain truth is that hampering unions’ ability uded to defend their members makes plause as unions weaker and improves rovided the conservatives’ chances of food getting into government. This future is why ‘Right of Entry’ (or ‘RoE’) l is an election IR issue. RoE is the cornerstone of a union’s Super) work. It permits officials to m.au) enter workplaces, under strict peaking limitations and conditions, to meet workers and ensure the n: The employer is complying with their is obligations. If the conservatives and can render unions powerless t your by putting higher and higher tion or barriers in the way of RoE, they can strangle unions, and therefore ial the ALP. e The rumblings are everywhere that Abbott wants to further idual restrict RoE, but has there been roduct widespread litigation about any union officials abusing their king of right of entry? No. There have, eking however, been many disputes

filed by unions about employers breaching their obligations to permit lawful entry by union organisers, mainly trying to hide their own illegal behaviours. The Fair Work Act, which replaced WorkChoices, made no significant improvement to RoE. So any new Abbott legislation on RoE is likely to restrict unions’ ability to do their core work even more than WorkChoices did. Again, it’s all about the conservative’s election chances, not about what goes on at workplaces. The second reason why conservatives push the IR barrow is that it has ‘ideological appeal’. Bland but broad assertions about ‘inflexibility’ appeal to small business owners struggling to make their business profitable in

an otherwise heavily de-regulated world. In fact, there is very little that business operators want that they can’t already have, except lower wages. But the ‘flexibility’ mantra sounds like something they might want to vote for. That’s why employer bodies like the AIG and ACCI, who frequently run the Liberal party’s agenda for them, keep calling for ‘more flexibility’. Awards and agreements are so flexible under the Fair Work Act that employers haven’t even bothered to use the compulsory ‘flexibility’ clause (or ‘IFA’) that all agreements must have. The Fair Work Commission recently concluded a survey of employers which contradicted employer bodies’ criticisms of IFAs. The survey found only about one

in ten employers had actually bothered to make individual flexibility arrangements, and very few cited problems about flexibility. Less than 1% of employers surveyed claimed that the IFA clause itself was not flexible enough. Around 15% said they used unwritten or verbal agreements with staff to vary conditions. It’s hard to avoid the conclusion that the conservatives are stuck in the distant past, wanting to deepen the divide between employers and employees, but the truth is probably much more banal and expedient. There is no real benefit to legitimate employers from more IR reform. There are real dangers to employees, but the real target is unions, because a weaker union

movement ensures stronger Liberal Party. The 2007 election was a highwater mark for unions, when WorkChoices was roundly dumped by the electorate. The conservatives went quiet in 2010 because they feared another ‘your rights at work’ campaign would kill their chances, but calls for more IR reform in this election are inevitable. And they are not about workplaces – they are about the Liberals’ future election prospects. Note: The Independent Education Union is not affiliated to the ALP. The IEU does campaign on issues of importance to members, including potential IR reforms which would damage members’ working conditions.

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News fairer workPlaces

joining the mainland

tasmania has now joined the rest of australia – at least in relation to having four terms in a school year.

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ven so, in a quixotically Tasmanian interpretation of the model of four ten week terms the inaugural year is constituted as 11 weeks in Term 1, 9 weeks in Term 2 and 10 weeks in each of terms 3 and 4. Members are already noticing that with shorter terms there seems to come a mindset from staff and students of more immediate engagement and concentration right from week one; in previous years a 15 week first term was sometimes a challenge to get through before mental exhaustion and winter illnesses set in. Many members will be affected as their schools go through the process of renewal of their School Registration this year. The Schools Registration Board issued a newsletter to all registered schools

assistant secretary (tasmania) aNGela brIaNt in February and principals should have circulated that to the school community. In part the Newsletter informed schools that, although the Education Act allows for a maximum period of registration of six years, the Board is unlikely to renew schools for that period. Given the significant changes that are occurring with the progressive introduction of the Australian curriculum and other federal government initiatives the SRB is of the view that a maximum registration period of four years is more appropriate in most circumstances. As the nominee of the IEU Victoria Tasmania I have been reappointed by the Minister for Education Nick McKim to the Board for 2013 and 2014. Members are most welcome to contact me with comments or queries about school registration matters.

Unions fire appeal 2013

unIonS oRGanISe FIRe SuppoRT

The bushfire season got off to a remarkably early start in Tasmania this year with dangerous weather conditions combining with an abundance of very dry bushland and forests.

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n early January Tasmanian Unions responded by launching a fire appeal. A total of $65,162 has been raised and this has been channelled to the Red Cross Bushfires 2013 Appeal for distribution to those in need. These funds will be used in the coming weeks and months to help affected families rebuild their lives. Many unions including IEU Victoria Tasmania. contributed directly; individual members also made donations; there were workplace collections and a ‘rattling the can’ collection day in the CBD’s of Hobart, Launceston, Burnie and Devonport on 23 January. Although our school staff were on leave during this period we know that, in the usual tradition of Tasmanian generosity, many members either made donations

to the Tasmanian Unions Appeal, to the Red Cross directly or participated in other fundraising activities in the broader community. To the best of our knowledge no IEU members lost their home in the bushfires. In the event such news hasn’t been relayed to us members are welcome to make contact if they were directly affected or do know of a member who was. We will support members who have been personally affected. Many Tasmanian union members gave fantastic service at the critical time when the bushfires were at their most dangerous or helped on the ground inn the aftermath through their involvement in the SES, Tasmanian fire service, Police, Parks and Wildlife and Forestry Tasmania.

Dad and partner pay SUPPorTING ThE roLE oF FAThErS or PArTNErS

After 30 years of campaigning women now have the support to keep their jobs and financial security when they have a baby. The 18 week Paid Parental Leave Scheme was introduced in January 2011 and is an important reform which gives assistance to families who are adjusting to a major life event- the birth of a baby.

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s a result of the ongoing campaign to provide improved parental leave provisions, we now have Dad and Partner Pay. DaPP is a new payment under the Paid Parental Leave Scheme, and is available to eligible working dads or partners, including same sex partners or adoptive parents, who care for a child born or adopted from 1 January, 2013. It provides up to two weeks of government-funded pay at the rate of the national minimum wage, currently $606.40 per week. Claims must be lodged by the dad or partner who is eligible to receive the payment. Claims can be lodged up to 3 months before the expected date of birth or adoption or within 12 months following their child’s birth or adoption. You cannot save up or cash out DaPP and the payment cannot be taken at the same time as other paid leave. Unlike Paid Parental Leave which is passed on through employer payroll systems, DaPP payments are made directly to the employee via the Family Assistance Office.

Am I eligible? Eligible dads or partners must: n be caring for a child born or adopted from 1 January, 2013 n be an Australian citizen

n have worked for 10 of the last 13 months prior to the start date of their DaPP period n have worked for at least 330 hours in that 10 month period (around 1 day per week), with no more than an eight week gap between two consecutive working days n have an individual adjusted taxable income of $150,000 or less in the previous financial year

n not be receiving paid leave or not working during the DaPP period

For more information see: www.humanservices.gov.au/dadandpartnerpay

CoNGratulatIoNs

iPad WinneRs

congratulations to the winners of our ipad competition: catherine stobie, Sacre coeur Glen Iris caroline volpe, St leo the Great School altona north adrian metherington, graduate cRT teacher please contact [email protected] aSap to claim your ipad!


starting out ST anThony’S copTIc cloSeS

No money for entitlements at St Anthony’s Coptic Orthodox

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n 14 December 2012 St Anthony’s Coptic Orthodox College Frankston closed its doors for good and on 3 January they went into liquidation. Not a great day for the 45 employees of the college and 180 students that were enrolled at the time. Schools are important focal points for communities and that’s one of the reasons why this school closure was felt so deeply by staff, students and parents. no money for Christmas As those of us who work in non-government education know, this is the third closure in two years and the second time a school has closed and been unable to pay their employees their entitlements. For many this meant no money for Christmas. The timing of the closure was bad, not only from a financial point of view, but also from an employment cycle perspective as the education sector was on the cusp of the holiday close-down with staffing well and truly sorted nancialout for 2013. Some staff members uced are owed close to one hundred thousand dollars and, while e the Gillard Government’s Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG) Act ensures that most entitlements will eventually be paid, some components, like the tens of thousands of dollars of unpaid superannuation, have been lost m for good. Members reacted to the closure with anger and frustration, prior to but they never allowed this to compromise their professionalism, t 10 a truly remarkable scenario and a with credit to them all. Collectively they n two asked the intrinsically reasonable questions: how was this allowed to happen and who is responsible? me of year

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ng during

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The College had been under increasing financial pressure as enrolments declined year after year and had been reliant upon the Coptic Diocese of Melbourne for the ad hoc injection of funds. In August of last year the situation was dire and a shortfall in expected state government funding almost resulted in the College being unable to meet its payroll obligations. It is also a reasonable assumption that the Principal’s resignation at the end of term three did not improve the school’s chances of surviving into 2013. due diligence? Popular opinion has solidified around the sentiment that the school’s Directors and board should have managed the College’s finances with greater diligence and made the decision to close the school when it was in a position to pay staff their entitlements and to transfer students to others schools in a managed and considered fashion. While the liquidators continue to examine the College’s accounts for impropriety, it is unlikely that any one person will be held legally accountable for the College’s demise. Many former employees of the College are still looking for suitable employment and all of them are waiting for their FEG money. The hardship loans offered to union members by the IEU and the $10,000 distributed as extreme hardship grants by the Coptic Diocese of Melbourne have helped some ,but fall well short of the amounts needed to adequately compensate the dedicated and caring former employees of St Anthony’s Coptic Orthodox College Frankston.

workPlace issues

safe at home & work doMESTIC VIoLENCE ANd ThE WorKPLACE

Australia is leading the world in recognising domestic violence as an issue which can potentially impact on workers and workplaces. The Federal Government has recently announced that they intend to amend the Fair Work Act to allow more employees to have the right to request a change in work arrangements. This will include workers affected by domestic violence and their support networks.

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vailable evidence indicates that a significant proportion of both female and male workers in Australia are subjected to domestic violence at any given time, with women experiencing the most severe and ongoing forms of abuse. The impact of domestic violence is serious and can be catastrophic. It has severe and persistent effects on physical and mental health and is one of the typical pathways into homelessness for Australian women. At a national level, the costs of domestic violence are enormous. On an individual level, domestic violence creates complex economics issues for women and their children and disrupts their lives over the short and long term. Gaining and maintaining work is pivotal in creating a secure financial future for victims of domestic violence and their families. Domestic Violence and Workplace surveys have shown that domestic violence affects work absenteeism, performance and workplace safety, affecting not only the victim but co-workers and whole organisations. Almost 20% of respondents who had experienced domestic violence have reported that the violence continued at the workplace. While there have been a number of initiatives to address the issue they have relied on influential individuals in workplaces to effect change. The Australian Domestic & Family Violence Clearinghouse (ADFVC) believed that non-discretionary and enforceable industrial entitlements were necessary to achieve this change. The Safe at Home, Safe at Work Project is federally funded and operates out of the Centre for Gender and Violence Studies at UNSW. The goal of the project, which runs until the end of June 2013, is to reduce the impact of domestic violence on working women by achieving better workplace rights that support them to stay in their jobs and in their homes. This is to be achieved by working with unions and employers nationally on the adoption of domestic violence provisions in enterprise agreements and other workplace instruments.

The first domestic violence clauses were introduced into Australian enterprise agreements in 2010. These provide worlds’ best practice with up to 20 days paid leave for reasons of domestic violence. Last year the ACTU endorsed seven key principles against which clauses are rated.

Key Principles

1. Dedicated additional and paid family and domestic violence leave; 2. Confidentiality of employee details must be assured and respected; 3. Workplace safety planning strategies to ensure protection of employees should be developed and clearly understood by the parties concerned; 4. The agreement should provide for referral of employees to appropriate domestic violence support services; 5. Nominated/contact person(s) must be provided with appropriate training and paid time off work to facilitate their role; 6. Employees entitled to family and domestic leave should also be able to access flexible work arrangements where appropriate; 7. Employees must be protected against adverse action or discrimination on the basis of their disclosure of, or experience of, family and domestic violence. One million workers in Australia are now protected by domestic violence clauses. More than 20 Victorian Councils have agreed to clauses including paid leave, as has the NSW public service and the big private sector employer Queensland Rail. The Safe at Home, Safe at Work Project will be working with government and federal agencies to make sure workers are informed about how best to support workers via flexible arrangements and other means, it will also campaign for the right to appeal if a request is rejected. In the meantime the most effective way to stop domestic violence from coming to work is workplace entitlements.

Professional develoPment

tasmanian sub-branch rep training

One of the first tasks for reps at all schools this year is to organise a rep election. This is the opportunity for reps to either commit to a new term of office from 2013 – 2017 or to look around for the keen union member who is putting their hand up to nominate for this role.

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ub-branches should meet and elect the rep by mid-March or as soon after that as possible. Each sub-branch under the IEU Rules has one rep, but can have an assistant rep or small committee to provide support to the rep. Angela and Dino are available to advise current reps and sub-branches through this process. The result of this election should be sent to the IEU office on the Election Result Form that has been provided. On Friday 12 April rep training will take place. The venue this year is Campbelltown for a state-wide meeting of all reps both new and experienced. This invaluable course provides all reps with an understanding of their role, and the tools and knowledge they will need to perform it. Training includes employment law, awards and agreements, and how to deal with difficult workplace situations and negotiate successful outcomes.

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Day of protest 2013

Whatever it takes It might have been Valentine’s Day, but on 14 February IEU members from around Victoria had no love for Ted Baillieu, who still refuses to budge from his insulting pay offer.

Members from Nagle join protest

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hile many members in metro Melbourne were still rolling around in bed, IEU members from Nagle College in Bairnsdale were getting on a bus for the 8 hour round trip to Melbourne to take part in February’s strike. New Nagle Rep, Ian Cooke, and several College staff made the trip to take part in last year’s industrial action and got on a bus again this year to nail home the point that IEU members expect a fair deal from the state government. Nagle members were not the only IEU members to make a long trip. Hundreds of members jumped on buses and trains or drove themselves to town to join their colleagues from Catholic schools across the state. In the Sale area several schools were forced to run modified programs while members met at a protest meeting in Sale. St Mary’s School Maffra was again forced to close as staff walked off the job in protest at the government’s position.

Solid support from the north east

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n an outstanding display of reps and members in action, over 60 members gathered in Wodonga for a show of unity with colleagues in Melbourne. A significant number of staff particularly from CRC Wodonga and Frayne College Baranduda came together to call on the State Government and the CECV to act on fixing the wage and conditions negotiations which are currently at an impasse. Speaking to the members, Andrew McKenzieMcHarg ,CRC IEU rep and key driver behind today’s successful event, spoke about what was reasonable: Reasonable was having the Government keep its pledge to make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the country. Reasonable was giving certainty to all staff about their future. Reasonable was offering a decent pay outcome that values the work of educators. Members spoke about their anguish in making a decision to stop their work, but how this choice was clear if the profession was to be respected. A just wage outcome was critical; as important as the respect that educators feel they deserve just like their fellow helping profession colleagues in health and the community service. Some members spoke of the absurd situation when one partner in a relationship works in Victoria and

earns $10,000 less than their partner who drives into Albury and works in NSW. Members unanimously supported a motion calling on the State Government to immediately conclude an Agreement around wages in line with the position of the AEU and the IEU, and to respect the work of school staff and allow staff to focus on their work with students. IEU thanks and congratulates all members who showed their commitment and support, particularly Andrew the rep at CRC and Josh the rep from Frayne for their work in making this event happen.

Warrnambool comes to the party

stephanie, Whitefriars College: Ted, its time to come good and come clean – keep your promises! three members from avila: Ted, show us some love, show us some leadership and show us some respect!

simon, st Joseph’s Geelong: We’re not going away until this is resolved.

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warm and sunny day greeted the sixty IEU members from across the south west, representing a variety of Catholic schools, as they prepared for another day of action in support of their AEU and state colleagues in their battle to gain a just wages outcome for teachers and staff. The belligerence of CECV head Stephen Elder seemed to be toned down a few notches compared with last September when there were threats of legal recourse because of our ‘unprotected action’ to a concession in February that teachers and staff deserved a fair wages outcome. Two points for Mr Elder here, Catholic school teachers and staff don’t scare easy and perhaps he could get on the phone to Ted Bailieu and push for a fair wages outcome, not just talk about it. So we gathered with our t-shirts, badges and banners for the walk round to our local member’s office, chanting as we went and supported by seven or eight ANF nurses and toots of support from our community. On arrival at Dennis Napthine’s we were met by approximately fifty AEU teachers and staff who also happened to have issues with the state government’s handling of the fair wage issue. In this very collegial environment, Dave Clift (AEU), Matt O’Brien and Mick Barling (both IEU) brought the crowd’s attention to the issues at hand in a humorous, succinct and accurate summation of the Bailieu Government’s management of this issue up to this point. The crowd, composed of members from All Saints Portland, Emmanuel College Warrnambool, St Pius X Warrnambool West, St Joseph’s Warrnambool, St Thomas’ Terang, Mercy College Camperdown and St Patrick’s Port Fairy, strongly supported the suggestion that the state government just needed to get the job done.

stephen, st Monica’s epping: This is about the whole education system. If we don’t do something to protect the values of that system and get quality people into it, we’re going to have a problem. Kate (left) and Georgina, Ballarat: Ted, lift your game, this is not good enough! sacred Heart Croydon, Kate (l): It’s so important we unite to protect our rights and our jobs! denise: Enough is enough, Mr Baillieu! It’s time to give us the respect we deserve!

simon, Penola CC : Ted, fix it!


So social Facebook

Eamon Spillane: Performance pay? No way!! Hey Big Ted this isn’t Playschool and we are serious. Fi Fi TrixiBell: Thanks so much to all of those at the union who have worked really hard under tricky circumstances. Your support is always appreciated! Tom Ih rigby: Keep on digging, One Term Ted! Geemag Leahy: A wonderful turn out for a great day. Let’s hope Ted’s pathetic comments come back to bite him. Lyndall M Blackburn: Rain, hail or shine, we’ll fight for our rights!

Twitter

@Communityrun Yesterday wasn’t just about love: @IEUnews campaigners asked@TedBaillieu not to break teachers’ hearts @MrLucasness The thing that impressed me about the rally yesterday was the support shown by the @IEUnews @heymarigirl Thx to teachers who lost a day’s pay– State & the Cathol/Indepents in support & nurses who joined & respectful police. @IEUnews @MeredithPeace One of the great moments of today: joined by our friends at the@IEUnews & @james_deb Solidarity! #keepthepromise

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12


policy

DumplInG In The SKy?

Last October the Gillard Government released Australia in the Asian Century, a white paper which lays out an economic and social roadmap leading to a more ‘prosperous and resilient’ Australia. It lays out an ambitious agenda for schooling, one which many would say, on current and proposed levels of investment, is financially impossible to achieve.

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he term Asian Century is popularly used to describe the projected 21 century dominance of Asian politics, economics and culture. There’s no doubting the importance of Asia to Australia, and as a country we have been grappling with what this means and how to capitalise on it for decades. In this agenda-setting paper, the government proposes three large national objectives. By 2025 the paper proposes that Australia’s school system will be in the top 5 school systems in the world. In addition, all students will have access to continuous study of a priority Asian language from their first day of school, and have significant exposure to Studies of Asia. These last two objectives form the basis of Asialiteracy. The priority Asian languages will be Chinese (Mandarin), Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese. The government proposes that these objectives will be a core requirement in new reforms being negotiated between the Commonwealth, States and Territories, and non-government education authorities in order to receive funding.

The role and expectation of schools

TEAChEr Tours To ChinA Embrace the Asian Century in 2013. More information and details at: www.easternwestlink.com

The white paper focuses on the development of capabilities to drive Australia’s productivity performance and ensure all Australians can participate and contribute. Capabilities for the Asian century are fairly broadly defined - job-specific skills, scientific and technical excellence, adaptability and resilience, using creativity and design-based thinking to solve complex problems. Sound familiar? What the Gillard government is now making clear is that the roadmap for Australian school education involves two distinct areas of focus, and these two areas now form a core part of: n the most recently articulated Australian government policy direction for those involved in school education – the National Plan for School Improvement and; n the proposed legislative approaches to the funding of schools. Most recently through the Australian Education Bill 2012, which has been passed in the House of Representatives and is now before the Senate.

how will schools achieve these objectives? The white paper proposes that the top 5 position will be achieved through the Australian Curriculum, provision of unprecedented levels of information through MySchool website, professional standards for teachers and focus on effective teaching, and delivery of the National Plan for School Improvement. Asian-related capabilities will be achieved ‘over time’ through full implementation of the Australian Curriculum (particularly in the Crosscurriculum Priority ‘Asia and Australia’s Engagement with Asia’, and the General Capability ‘intercultural understanding’), and through funding agreement requirements. All schools will engage with at least one school in Asia to support the teaching of a priority language.

And the Money? The white paper states emphatically that ‘under the National Plan for School Improvement, every Australian school will have the money it needs to do a great job’, and the Australian Education Bill 2012 makes similar statements. However, to date no State government has

agreed, the Bill has yet to go through the Senate, and we all await any meaningful announcement on details and timing of any real funding increases.

Languages study in Australia – just too hard? While many business and education leaders have commended the Prime Minister on her plan to give every student the chance to study an Asian language, the noticeable absence of costings, resourcing and any implementation strategy raises questions about its achievability. Australia’s policy landscape has experienced decades of attempts to grow the study of Languages other than English. While the white paper uses the somewhat unclear terminology of students having ‘the opportunity’ to undertake continuous study through their years of schooling, the narrowing of this to the priority Asian languages increases its implementation and feasibility problems.

Students studying a language – the challenge One of the major issues in any change to language policy is the need to analyse and build on the current state of play. A major factor here is the actual decline in the number of second language learners. The share of Australian students studying languages, including many Asian languages, is small and has actually fallen in recent times. n between 200 and 2008, the number of Year 12 Australian students studying a tertiary accredited language other than English dropped; n in 2008, less than 6 per cent of Australian students studied Indonesian, Japanese, Korean or Mandarin in Year 12; n in 2009 fewer Year 12 students studied Indonesian than in 1972; and n while Japanese remains the most widely taught language in Australian schools, student numbers fell by 16% from 2000 –2008. The target that has to date been set by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG) is that by 2020 at least 12 per cent of Year 12 students will exit schooling with a fluency in one of the target Asian languages. This means a challenging doubling of current numbers. Various States and Territories currently have language strategies on (and off) the boil. A number of State Ministers have raised concerns about the impact on schools that already teach languages other than the four Asian priority languages (Victoria), and on the huge problem of teacher supply (Queensland). The costly issues associated with the government’s objective are well articulated in the Australian Foreign Language Teachers Association (AFLMTA) response to the white paper. It outlines areas for significant work and resourcing: increases in teacher supply and education, introduction of Hindi to mainstream schooling, negotiations around learning time allocation, flexibility of program delivery, continuity in, ongoing professional learning and increased leadership requirements, resourcing needs, and research for evidence-led policies and practice. While the AFLMTA supports improving and increasing online learning opportunities through the NBN, it argues online learning does not mean fewer teachers. Effective programs require suitable teacher to learner ratios, and more teachers of all Asian languages will be needed. As with most education reform, the detail is what matters, and unfortunately there is little detail in what is a big policy shift in relation to the study of languages other than English. Getting students (and their parents) interested in studying a second language is just one large hurdle, resourcing this policy is another.


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News

Energy, passion and support

Over the past month, I have had the pleasure of interning at the IEU. A fascinating and engaging experience, I’ve worked with staff in the office on a range of exciting tasks and become more involved with the broader union movement. member amy muratore of mount lilydale mercy college tells her story.

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am a School Officer working at a Catholic school and in the next 12 months I will qualify as a secondary school teacher. My involvement in unionism is something I value, and my internship with the IEU has given me the opportunity to further explore this as well as giving me a taste of the industry I am about to enter. From tagging along to school visits to working on the latest campaign in Catholic schools, I have certainly been kept busy! I have thoroughly enjoyed the range of work I have been involved with and now realize just how important it is to be actively engaged with your union. This is an exciting time in Victorian education, so a highlight was working on the current Catholic Schools campaign. I got to see all the hard work that goes in preparing for a day of action. I met some passionate and enthusiastic sub-branch members, assisted in overall preparations, and soaked up the incredible energy generated by the campaign. It was a great example of what unionism is truly about: solidarity, respect and action. I was proud on that day, as each and every member of the IEU should be. The great honour for me personally, was representing IEU members on the day, and

addressing over 15 thousand on the steps of state parliament. Though terrified at the thought of addressing thousands of more experienced and seasoned teachers, I was humbled to have been asked, and so proud to represent my union. I got to share words I believe in with my comrades, stand up next to strong women I greatly admire (Deb James and Meredith Peace) and tell the Premier enough is enough, it’s time to make a deal. It was an honour to be involved in such a way, and I cannot thank the staff at the IEU enough for encouraging and supporting me on the day. Interning with the IEU has been an fantastic opportunity for me, both personally and professionally. I now have a greater understanding of what the IEU is about, what we have achieved, and where we are heading. Now more than ever, we need strong and engaged members - I encourage all to explore this and take advantage of any opportunity to work within the union movement. I would like to thank Deb James for having me, Simon Schmidt and the other organizers for taking me under their wing and all the lovely members I had the opportunity to meet during my time at the IEU. It really was a pleasure.

teacher registration renewals countdown

At the end of September this year, almost 72,000 fully registered teachers in Victoria will be up for their five yearly renewal of registration process. This article is primarily about this group of registered teachers – are you one of them?

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he remainder of registered teachers are on somewhat differing renewal cycles. A further 20,000 or so teachers are still somewhere in their five year registration cycle and will come up for renewal in either 2014, 2015 or 2016. The more recently registered teachers (from January 2011 onwards) are already on the one year renewal cycle. Once teachers are through their current five year cycle, they will move to the new one year cycle of renewal. Remember, renewal of registration is not the same thing as paying the annual registration fee.

n have continued suitability to teach (a current NCRC , and declarations about relevant charges or convictions for offences, and health-related issues which may affect professional conduct, competence or capacity as a teacher). Teachers do not have to provide evidence to VIT of the above, you simply make a declaration on the on-line renewal form. However, VIT will undertake a random audit of a small percentage of teachers renewing and these teachers will need to provide details to VIT when asked.

What is Renewal of Registration? For teachers to continue full registration (that is, not Provisional registration nor Permission to Teach) over time, they have to periodically renew their registration by demonstrating that they continue to meet the standards of professional practice. This is not an uncommon process for most professions. In addition to the usual process of paying your annual fee and having a satisfactory current National Criminal Records Check (NCRC), the teachers whose cycle of registration is up need to also complete the renewal process. In September this year, teachers who are part of the fiveyear renewal process will need to sign a declaration on the renewal form that they have over the previous 5 years (their rego cycle) : n undertaken 50 days teaching (or equivalent practice or educational leadership) n undertaken 100 hours of professional development activities (which relate to the Teaching Standards of Professional Practice),

Will you meet the renewal requirements? A number of fairly flexible definitions apply: (i) The definition of professional practice includes not just teaching in primary, secondary or special schools, but also any work in alternative teaching settings or related fields of education. Also working solely in educational leadership roles can also be included if there is a relationship with the standards, and the work directly influences teaching and learning in the classroom (ii) The definition of and types of professional development activities that can be counted are very broad. An explanation and comprehensive list of these is available on the VIT website in the section I want to Renew my Registration under Guide to Professional Development Activities. This outlines what PD will be counted and includes examples for: n courses of study n activities sourced from PD providers

n professional reading n professional meetings n school or work-based professional learning activities, including mentoring, student teacher supervision, professional learning team/faculty, year level activities, etc. n other activities that inform your professional knowledge or practice, such as education union councils/seminars, VCE exam assessing, VELS reference groups, etc. There is no limit imposed on the hours undertaken in any given category. (iii) Evidence - Teachers should be looking back on their diaries for conferences, seminars, other types of pd activities undertaken, including school-based meetings, readings, etc and noting hours spent over the year. In respect to professional reading, evidence may be a brief reflection on the reading and its usefulness to your understanding and practice. On average you are looking at about 20 hours of professional learning activities per year. What about teachers unable to meet the teaching and Pd requirements? There are three options available for teachers who are unable to meet the requirements – in exceptional circumstances an extension of 12 months, applying for nonpractising category, or expiry (beware here!). The next edition of The Point will outline these three options in greater detail.

14

THE POINT November 2012

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*Offer available to IEU members and the general public, up to a maximum discount of $250. Spectacle frames must be purchased in conjunction with prescription lenses. ^Offer available to IEU members and the general public, up to a maximum discount of $250. A minimum of 6 months supply must be purchased. **Offer available to Teachers Health Fund members and the general public, upon completion of a dental examination at Teachers Health Centre, Richmond. Teachers Federation Health Ltd ABN 86 097 030 414 trading as Teachers Health Centre. THC-R-A-IEUVIC-02/13

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15

professional development Pd in the PuB 2013

behaviour management

PD in the Pub sessions are free for AEU and IEU student and teacher members in their first few years of teaching.

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ffective class and behaviour management are skills all teachers need — skills we have to continue working on because of the changing nature of the classroom. This is a chance to participate in a professional development session with Glen Pearsall, one of the most dynamic presenters currently working with Victorian teachers — and if you are an AEU or IEU member it will cost you nothing. Not only do you get free PD, you can have a drink at the bar on us and we will issue you with a certificate of participation in the event for VIT registration purposes. If you are a student teacher, this is a chance to hear about really practical and effective techniques you can use on rounds and in the classroom when you get a job. If you are already working — you know how important class and behaviour management is.

n Caroline Springs Tues 19 March The Club 1312 Western Highway

Pd in the Pub is coming up at: (hour?)

n Albury Thurs 9 May Commercial Club – Wattle Room 618 Dean St, Albury

n Geelong Tues 12 March Lord of the Isles Tavern Cnr La Trobe Tce & West Fyans St Newtown n Warrnambool Wed 13 March The Flying Horse Princes Highway & Mahoney’s Rd n Ballarat Thurs 14 March Oscars Hotel 18 Doveton St South, Ballarat

n Moorabbin Wed 20 March Sandbelt Club Hotel cnr Sth & Bignell Rd n Thornbury Thurs 21 March The Furlan Club 1 Matisi Street

n Croydon Mon 25 March Dorset Gardens Hotel Elm Room 335 Dorset Road n Carlton Tues 26 March Bella Union Bar Cnr Lygon & Victoria Sts

n Mildura Mon 29 April Quality Hotel – Mildura Grand Seventh St n Bendigo Tues 7 May The Hotel Shamrock Cnr Pall Mall & Williamson Street

n Shepparton Wed 8 May GV Hotel 223 High Street Shepparton

n Traralgon Wed 15 May Grand Junction Hotel Cnr Franklin & Princes Hwy

n Narre Warren Thurs 16 May Fountain Gate Hotel Fountain Gate Shopping Centre

Professional develoPment

Teacher Learning Network

Welcome back to the school year from the Teacher Learning Network

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TLN offers programs in: n Leadership: workshops with Mike Sherry, Kerryn Vellerman, Michael Victory, Kaye Dennis n Classroom Practice: workshops with Glen Pearsall, Jo Prestia, Abbey Boyer, Jim Crawford n Behaviour Management: workshops with Jo Lange, Jenny Mackay, David Vinegrad n IT in the Classroom: workshops with Mark Richardson, Ash Abdou, Penny Bentleigh n Early Childhood: workshops with Max Grarock, Nicole Bourke and Justine Walsh More than 700 schools are TLN members – you can check your school’s membership status at www.tln.org.au. If your school is not a member, email Michael Victory at [email protected]

this year all members have been sent a hard copy of the professional Development and training program for tasmania. once again we are able to offer members a range of really high quality pD opportunities.

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n a first for Tasmania, the highly acclaimed speaker Dr Trinidad Hunt has been scheduled to present seminars in both Hobart (Wednesday 8 May) and Launceston ( Tuesday 7 May). Trinidad is an inspiring trainer who consistently receives very positive feedback from workshop participants. The 4 hour session will focus on communication, your style, the style of others and skills which can be improved with consistent practice.

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n 2013 we are offering you a fabulous membership benefit package. In 2013 all TLN courses, more than 90 workshops, are FREE for all staff in member schools. The TLN is backed by the IEU Victoria Tasmania and recognises the pressure on school budgets and so is making all of its acclaimed programs available to your staff free of charge. You just pay the one-off school membership fee (see the rates below) and all courses are available to you.

Tasmanian Professional development & Training

In the coming weeks your staff could be attending: n Stop bullying in your school Thu 14 March 4pm – 6pm Online n Managing Student Interactions (with Jenny Mackay) Saturday 16 March morning or afternoon IEU n Introduction to Leadership Wednesday 20 March 1pm – 4pm AEU n Great lessons for technology classrooms Thursday 21 March 4pm – 6pm Online Full details are available at www.tln.org.au

TLN rates for 12 month membership Student Enrolment 12 month membership Above 2000 students $600 Between 1000 and 1999 students $500 Between 500 and 999 students $350 Between 100 and 499 students $250 Below 100 students $200 Don’t forget your membership also delivers multiple copies of the TLN Journal. This year on: n Catering for Difference n Leadership: The Centre of Learning n Behaviour Management Call the TLN on 03 9418 4991, go to the website www.tln.org.au or email [email protected]

TLN opportunities Members are also encouraged to access the IEU’s professional learning organisation, the Teacher Learning Network, for online learning opportunities. The full list of programs and registration is available on the TLN website: www.tln.org.au. TLN programs focus on four key areas: 1. Leadership 2. Technology in the classroom 3. Behaviour Management and 4. Classroom Practice.

Tasmanian professional development & training

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17

union life

Women need unions need women The 2013 Anna Stewart Memorial project Promises a great experience for successful applicants. The anna Stewart memorial project has been bringing women members into the workings of their trade unions since 1984.

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nna Stewart was a former journalist and active Victorian union official, (1974– 1983) who died tragically in 1983, aged 35. Her involvement with the union movement began at a time when women workers comprised one-third of the paid workforce but were poorly paid, lacked job security and skills recognition. After Anna’s death a number of trade union friends and colleagues met to discuss how best to remember her life and work, the influence of which is hard to measure. A project based around the Working Women’s Charter demand for increased involvement in trade unions was both immediately relevant to Anna’s memory and to the needs of women workers given statistics that, despite the large numbers of women joining trade unions, women were still under-represented in decision making structures. The Anna Stewart Memorial project was thus born and the inaugural program was co-ordinated by the Municipal Officers Association Victoria in 1984. The project was conceived as an annual two week on the job training program for women unionists, giving participants access to union organistaions and developing their awareness of the ways in which unions can work to redress the issues affecting women. The IEU Victoria Tasmania offers women members the opportunity to participate in the ASMP program in 2013. The program runs for two weeks and replacement costs are available to participants. Application forms are available on the website www.ieuvictas.org.au and queries can be emailed to [email protected] Dates of the first program: Monday 6 May- Friday 17 May

IEU member Stephanie Szwajlyk was a 2012 Anna Stewart Project participant.

WeaR FoR SucceSS

As a university student I remember being panicked to learn that the school I was being sent to for my teaching round had a strict dress code which included a ban on female staff wearing pants.

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y horror was twofold – firstly that a so called progressive girls’ school could have such an ‘old fashioned’ idea of how women should dress, but also how I was going to afford to look the part of a dress and skirt wearing teacher on my minimal student income. While fortunately dress standards may have become a little more realistic in the past twenty years, the difficulty of low-income and other disadvantaged people taking their first steps into paid employment has not changed. The charity Wear for Success works to support people into work through the provision of interview and work clothing, interview coaching and resume advice. The South Melbourne based not for profit organisation is clear in its vision to provide a service that helps build selfesteem, personal confidence and supports the success of marginalised members of our community wishing to re-enter the workforce. They believe that with assistance many disadvantaged Victorian men and women can make the

transition to work, and enjoy the self-esteem and security that comes with having a job. Wear for Success provides suitable clothing for interviews and initial work life, providing valuable grooming, interview coaching and resume advice to build confidence and self esteem. Working in partnership with other community organisations such as job agencies, disability networks, prison release programs, migrant worker services, City Mission and the Salvation Army. The majority of their clients are drawn from the long term unemployed and migrant population as well as youth, indigenous people and those exiting prison. You can support the great work of Wear for Success by donating suitable clothing, footwear, accessories or money. Consider arranging a workplace activity or arranging a group collection of donated items. WeaR FoR suCCess www.wearforsuccess.org.au email: [email protected] Donate online: www.givenow. com.au/wearforsuccess

Play for schools

Red Stitch Actors Theatre and the ACTU have combined to bring an exciting drama about work as an incursion to schools in Term 2.

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he play, WORK! It’s an experience, explores the ups and downs of getting your first job. It follows the progress of three newbies as they figure out where they fit in the world of work. Tim’s new boss is cool, but wants to pay him cashin-hand. Sonja’s not sure if her new coworker is a bit bitchy or a real bully, while Ngaire has a boss who’s a touch too friendly. With lots of laughs and a little pathos, Work! It’s an experience brings real workplace situations to life and encourages young people to speak up if something is not right. Written by actor and playwright Peter Hougton, the play brings a cast of young actors from Red Stitch

together in a fast paced drama written specifically for Years 9 and 10. The play is being offered to schools in tandem with a panel discussion about employee rights and responsibilities featuring employer and union representatives. WORK! It’s an experience is being offered to schools for a strictly limited season in Melbourne and Geelong from 6 May 2013. The incursion costs $1500 plus GST. To book or get more information, call Edunity 9534 2833 or visit edunity.com.au/work ACTU Worksite for Schools is sponsored by the IEU and other unions.

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19

membership oh&s: Too hot or cold?

Change it now

Extremes of temperature are a fact of life living in Australia. In summer, everyone accepts the days over 35 degrees. Equally however, there are days when maximum temperatures may not rise above 5 or 6 degrees in some regions. Heat or cold in the workplace can be an emotive issue, and it can be hard to be the person who raises concerns. While it is not possible to maintain a workplace temperature ideal for everyone, it is however possible to maintain a temperature range that is comfortable and suitable for work.

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he temperature most people find comfortable is between 20–26 degrees Celsius. Temperatures too high or too low can contribute to fatigue, lethargy, heat stress or medical conditions. How an individual perceives thermal comfort, or is affected by temperature, can be influenced by a range of factors: air temperature, humidity, ventilation, and movement of air. These influence how efficiently the body is able maintain a comfortable temperature. The level of fluid lost from the body and its rate of replacement is as important in cold temperatures as in hot. Radiant heat from the sun or workplace equipment, such as ovens, kilns and furnaces, is a factor often overlooked. Clothing should also be considered in determining a comfortable temperature range, in particular whether it is essential to wear protective clothing or equipment whilst working, both for employees and students. Workload and, in particular, the level of physical exertion and pacing of tasks will also impact on the level of comfort. Sedentary work, such as office-based work, may necessitate a higher temperature than in other areas of the school where employees are more physically active. There are also many personal factors affecting thermal comfort: people who are overweight, recovering from illness, using prescription medications, are physically unfit, have pre-existing conditions, are suffering dehydration or are pregnant may have reduced tolerances to heat and cold. The management of temperature is best determined on a workplace by workplace basis. Practical advice on how employers can meet their obligations is provided by Workplace Safety Regulators in Tasmania and Victoria. Although such advice on its own is often not enforceable, when it is adjoined to the employer’s health and safety duty of care in Victorian and Tasmanian Workplace Health and Safety legislation, the ability of employees to address the issue of workplace temperature becomes clearer. The duty to provide and maintain a safe workplace without risks to health is clear and unequivocal, as is the requirement to monitor workplace conditions. This means knowing which areas of the workplace are susceptible to heat and cold, and doing something

to eliminate the risk. There is also a requirement that Health and Safety Representatives and employees are consulted about the identification and assessment of hazards, and that they are also consulted about the decisions made to control them. As in the management of any hazard, the focus for controlling problems of temperature must be on changing the working environment and/or the manner in which work is performed. ] If heat or cold is an issue in your school, or has been for some time and little has been done to resolve it, the following simple action plan may provide a way forward: 1 Ask your Health and Safety Representative to convene an OHS meeting to determine the areas of the school affected by heat or cold and to hear what, if anything, has been done to resolve the matter. If there is no elected OHS Rep, then the IEU Victoria Tasmania sub-branch should take the initiative and convene a meeting to discuss the matter and begin the process of electing an OHS Rep. 2 The Health and Safety Representative should arrange a meeting with the Principal to discuss the matter as soon as possible. Keep written records of all discussions, outcomes and undertakings given. 3 If there are no policies or procedures in place, propose these be developed in consultation with leadership, Health and Safety representatives, the IEU Victoria Tasmania Rep or the sub-branch. 4 Contact the IEU Victoria Tasmania for assistance. 5 If negotiations do not progress swiftly enough and within a reasonable time, if the Principal is dismissive and doesn’t accept that heat and cold is a safety issue, inform the Principal that in your belief there is a breach of the health and safety laws and you will consider using all provisions available to you to resolve the matter. Contact the IEU Victoria Tasmania for further assistance. Contact your IEU Victoria Tasmania organiser for more information on how Health and Safety Representatives, IEU Victoria Tasmania sub-branches and sub-branch reps can address temperature discomfort at work.

International neWs

Teacher unions in Lebanon are continuing to push for a long-delayed new wage scale. In mid-February, Lebanon’s Prime Minister met with a delegation from education and public sector unions, but the meeting failed to resolve the dispute and the unions have since called for a continuation of strikes targeting government departments and schools. Demonstrators have threatened to interrupt work at a new government department each day until they receive the wage raise. Unions continue to call on the Government to approve the new wage scale and refer the bill to the Parliament, but the government claims it is unable to find the necessary funds to pay for the salary increase. There has reportedly been a new attack on trade union activity in Turkey where over 140 unionists, including a number of education unionists, have been arrested using strict anti-terrorism laws. In February and June 2012, the Turkish government used the same laws to arrest union leaders and members, a number of whom remain in detention, still awaiting trial. International unions have called for the immediate and unconditional release of all arrested union members, and have urged the authorities to stop harassing and labelling trade unionists as terrorists. The ongoing conflict in Mali is disrupting the schooling of over 700,000 students across the country, with many schools destroyed in the fighting, and with both teachers and students fleeing the conflict in the north, there has been increased pressure on stillfunctioning schools in the south. The Malian Education Minister, bocar Moussa Diarra, has claimed that only one in three schools are functioning and hundreds of schools need to be rebuilt or repaired, and only about one in four teachers have resumed work. In mid-February, teacher unions in Colombia organised a demonstration calling for free

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public education, respect for the teaching profession, and quality health services for teachers. More than 6,000 demonstrators marched through the capital, bogotá, to demand an end to the privatisation of education covertly promoted by the government. The union claims that a combination of emphasis to the private sector and a trend to larger class-sizes in state schools, has led to the loss of 50,000 teaching jobs. There has also been a steady deterioration in the health services provided for teachers in recent years, which is why quality health care was one of the central demands of the demonstrators. Teachers in Malawi have joined the ongoing strike of civil servants in the country. Teachers in the south-eastern African country face enormous pressures in performing their work: a rapidly depreciating salary due to rapid inflation, class sizes approaching 100 students, and delays in receiving their monthly salary. Public sector unions have organised this protest action in order to force the government to increase salaries and to improve basic working conditions. The government, led by President banda, has urged all civil servants to return to work, but has given no indication of meeting union demands. And finally, a teacher in Sheffield, England, has won an unfair dismissal case after the Council, her employer, sacked her for allegedly, among other things, pruning a bush without first performing a risk assessment. Pity the Council didn’t perform a risk assessment on the dismissal itself…

In melbourne the fight has taken many forms over the decades

INterNatIoNal WomeN’s Day

International Women’s Day has its origins in the struggle for better working conditions and voting rights for women in the early 1900’s. It is now a global day celebrating the economic, political and social achievements of women. Celebrated on 8 March, International Women’s Day is an occasion for looking back over past struggles and accomplishments and more importantly for looking ahead to the untapped potential and opportunities that await future generations of women.

The fight for gender equality remains a vital justice issue across the world

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he first IWD was held on 19 March 1911 in Germany, Austria, Denmark and Switzerland. This date was chosen by German women because on that date in 1848 the Prussian king, faced with an armed uprising, had promised many reforms, including an unfulfilled one of votes for women. A million leaflets calling for action were distributed throughout Germany before IWD 1911. International Women’s day also became a mechanism for protesting against World War 1. As part of the peace movement , Russian women observed their first IWD in late February, 1912. The following year it was moved to 8 March and has remained so ever since. Elsewhere in Europe in 1913 women held rallies, either to protest the looming war or to express solidarity with other activists. Undoubtedly the most memorable IWD was held in Petrograd (now Leningrad) in 1917. On 17 March Russian women began a strike for ‘bread and peace’ in response to the death over one million Russian soldiers in the ‘Great War’. Four days later the Czar was forced to abdicate and the provisional Government granted women the right to vote. The first Australian IWD took place in the Sydney Domain in 1928. It was organised by the Militant Women’s Movement and called for equal pay for equal work; an eight hour day for shop girls; no piece work; the basic wage for the unemployed and annual holidays on full pay. In 1931 the first IWD took place in Melbourne where women marched from Victoria St and Russell St to the Yarra Bank where the talk focussed

on the need to organise women politically. Since those early years, IWD has grown to become a global day that helps to push women’s issues in developed and developing countries onto the political agenda. While much progress has been made to protect and promote women’s rights, nowhere in the world can women claim to have all the same rights and opportunities as men. According to the United Nations the majority of the world’s 1.3 billion absolute poor are women; on average women receive 30-40 per cent less pay than men for the same work and women continue to be victims of violence, with rape and domestic violence listed as significant causes of death and disability among women worldwide. Annually on 8 March thousands of events are held throughout the world to inspire women and to celebrate achievements. The messages given at these events often focus on various themes. Following the first, ‘International Day of the Girl’ on 11 October last year the United Nations theme this year is, ‘Ending violence against women’. Locally, the Victorian Trades Hall Council and Australian Council of Trade Unions in the lead up to the federal election will focus of its, ‘Time to Care Campaign’ where unions will campaign to ensure the right to request family friendly arrangements is enforceable, including that workers experiencing domestic violence have the right to request a change in work arrangements. The IEU Victoria Tasmania has invited Ged Kearney, President of the ACTU, to address members at its IWD celebration.