Independent Education Union of Australia NSW / ACT Branch

Happening this morning in Sydney: the IEU will file a revolutionary pay-rise application for staff in over 100 preschools with the Fair Work Commission. Stay turned for further updates…

MEDIA ALERT ⚡️ The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (IEU) will on Friday file a special application with the Fair Work Commission to lift the pay of teachers and educators in more than 100 community-based preschools throughout NSW.

https://www.ieu.asn.au/media-alert-preschool-pay-rise-application/

📣 FEEDBACK PLEASE! 🙏 We're halfway through 2024 and thinking ahead to 2025. How do you feel about the IEU wall planner? Do you still pin your planner to the wall, or have you embraced digital diaries? Jump in the comments below and tell us what you think, or send us a direct message. We’re keen to hear your feedback as we consider and plan for the year ahead.

MEDIA ALERT ⚡️ The Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (IEU) will on Friday file a special application with the Fair Work Commission to lift the pay of teachers and educators in more than 100 community-based preschools throughout NSW.

https://www.ieu.asn.au/media-alert-preschool-pay-rise-application/

⏰ UPCOMING IEU REPS TRAINING ⏰ Register now for training in Newcastle, Camden (South Coast), Penrith (Cumberland), Orange (Central West), Wagga Wagga (Riverina) and Gosford (Central Coast).

Visit the IEU website to register for reps training and professional development opportunities.

https://www.ieu.asn.au/events/

Save the date for Indigenous Literacy Day 2024! ✨

Celebrate stories, cultures and languages on Wednesday, September 4.

Check out the ILF website for some great ways to engage.

https://www.indigenousliteracyfoundation.org.au/ild

📣 Call for nominations: IEU Council 📣 A second-round election of sub branch delegates to Council is under way (see links in comments). This is to fill vacancies left after recent elections as there were not enough nominations to fill all available positions in some sub branches. Nominations close on 8 July at 4pm.

“Be ruthless with systems and kind with people”, Chanel Contos. Read about the young woman behind the Teach Us Consent campaign on the role of education in ending gendered violence.

Our interview with Contos is the cover story of the June edition of IE magazine.

Read the full article: https://www.ieu.asn.au/publications/ie-june-2024/

The latest issue of IE, out now, explores how a trauma-informed approach can help mitigate the impact of emotional labour in teaching.

Read the full story here https://publications.ieu.asn.au/2024-may-ie/article3/towards-healthand-healing/

Anti-discrimination resources: Refugee Week (16-22 June) may be over for this year but refugees are vulnerable to many types of discrimination all year round. Here's a link to resources in a range of community languages. Anti-Discrimination NSW offers free enquiry and complaint services to anyone in NSW in any language.

https://antidiscrimination.nsw.gov.au/need-help/community-languages.html

✊Thanks to the power of collective action, the IEU has secured an improved final offer for early childhood teachers and directors at KU Children's Service. Members have overwhelmingly accepted KU’s final offer, secured on 1 May, after months of negotiations. Here's what they had to say about the new Enterprise Agreement.

The IEU wishes to thank our members at KU for standing together. We could not have achieved this outcome without the unwavering support of our members.

In case you missed it, the June 2024 edition of Newsmonth is OUT NOW! As always, it is full of union news, including the following:

👉 Interested in getting more involved in your union? We’re seeking delegates for IEU Council, the union’s main governing body. Check our Election Notice to see if there’s a vacancy in your sub branch and download the Nomination Form.
👉 Read about the IEU’s new campaign, Now’s the time: Uniting for a whole new deal in independent schools.
👉 Salaries for members in independent schools are falling behind their counterparts in Catholic systemic schools. This campaign calls for better pay and conditions and reduced workloads.
👉 Your union has been advocating for reduced workloads for some time. Don’t miss our four-page liftout, in collaboration with AITSL, on the Australian Teacher Performance and Development Framework.
👉 Chapter reps in schools are crucial to communicating union issues, and the IEU supports our reps with regular training. Meet four reps from independent schools.
👉 We urge our Catholic systemic members to stand together again this year to make more progress on salaries and workloads.
👉 Finally, see our report on members in the Maitland-Newcastle Catholic Schools Office taking protected action after talks failed to reach agreement on salary increases.

https://www.ieu.asn.au/publications/newsmonth-june-2024/

Like everyone else, IEU members and their families continue to struggle with persistent cost-of-living pressures. Next Monday we will see the commencement of much-needed financial support from the federal government for all workers. We will also see union-won wage increases for tens of thousands of IEU members across the country.

Read the latest IEU Speaks from the Independent Education Union of Australia federal office. Link in comments below.

In 2023, the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and researchers from The University of Queensland (UQ) partnered to examine how specific aspects of quality relate to learning and development outcomes for children in Australia.

This study contributes the first empirical evidence linking quality ratings of Australian early childhood education and care (ECEC) services with child development. It confirms the value of investing in improving the quality of ECEC for all Australian children, as well as in our national system for assessing and rating the quality of ECEC services.

Link to report in comments below.

Are you experiencing sexism in the classroom?

In the latest edition of IE magazine read about how a misogynistic influencer is radicalising some schoolboys and the impact on women teachers. IEU members share their experiences. If this is a problem in your school, your union can support you. Contact your organiser or send us a direct message with your membership number. All messages will be treated in the strictest confidence.

Read the full feature here: https://publications.ieu.asn.au/2024-may-ie/article4/influencer-infiltrating-classrooms/

🤩 Lismore Reps training: Today IEU Representatives attended the first reps training back in the IEU's Lismore office since the devastating floods. Reps learned more about their working rights and walked away with a solid understanding of how strong union Chapters make a difference at work. We are stronger together! Solidarity! ✊💪✊

See link in comments for upcoming Reps training dates and other professional development opportunities.

Today's SMH highlights the importance of early childhood teachers to their communities. Parents at Khancoban Community Preschool in the Snowy Mountains region have been searching for an early childhood teacher so their preschool can reopen. A video from February 2024 shows the advantages of living and working in Khancoban. Local families have even offered accommodation.

The IEU has launched a pay rise campaign for staff in community-based preschools in NSW to address the workforce crisis that is threatening early childhood education. The work of early childhood teachers has been undervalued for too long.

In our Unite for Change campaign, we're urging the NSW government to step up
and address the staff shortages caused by inadequate pay and conditions in community-based preschools.

The IEU is accessing the new 'supported bargaining' stream designed to assist employees who haven't been able to bargain successfully at the individual enterprise level to now bargain together as a group. This process would enable the union, the NSW government and employers to work together to lift pay and conditions across the sector and solve the staffing crisis. Stay tuned for updates in this space.

Link to SMH article and IEU media release in comments below.

The IEU is pushing back on employer groups who would like to limit the newly legislated right to disconnect.

Union pushes for private school staff’s right to disconnect Teachers and school staff are entitled to switch off when they are not performing an allocated or rostered duty, the union says

Now's the time! Today the IEU launches a campaign for a whole new deal for teachers and professional, administrative and operational staff in about 250 independent schools in NSW and the ACT.

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Carol Matthews spoke to the Sydney Morning Herald saying that 'while some independent schools already paid above NSW government rates, some schools had agreements with teaching salaries below those in the public system.'

https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/private-school-teachers-push-for-pay-rises-above-public-sector-colleagues-20240623-p5jnz3.html

The IEU has launched a campaign for a whole new deal for teachers and professional, administrative and operational staff in about 250 independent schools in NSW and the ACT represented by the Association of Independent Schools (AIS).

“The campaign was endorsed unanimously at the IEU’s quarterly Council meeting on 15 June after extensive consultation with members,” IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Carol Matthews said.

The independent schools sector includes not just the big, well-known institutions, but also smaller schools including faith-based, community and alternative schools.

Read Media Release https://www.ieu.asn.au/media-release-nows-the-time-launch/

⏰ UPCOMING IEU REPS TRAINING ⏰ Register now for training in Lismore, Port Macquarie and Newcastle.

Visit the IEU website to register for reps training and professional development opportunities.

https://www.ieu.asn.au/events/

🔷 IEU Support Staff Conference 2024: Making a Difference 🔷

The IEU’s 2024 Support Staff Conference will explore how what we say and do can make an impact – even the smallest actions can be significant. We’ll look at how we can overcome the fear of stepping up and quieten that doubtful “how can anything thing I do make a difference” mindset, and build the confidence and knowledge to become active and engaged in our workplaces and beyond.

👉 Hear the experiences of our keynote speaker, Craig Foster, former Socceroo, broadcaster, adjunct professor, author, filmmaker and human rights activist.
👉 Participate in workshops led by facilitator, trainer and former teacher Beth Berghan who will work with participants on finding their voice for advocacy and representation.

BOOK NOW https://events.humanitix.com/ieu-support-staff-conference-making-a-difference

🌿 IEU Environment Conference 2024: Out of the classroom and into nature! 🌿
Join us for a special opportunity for K-6 teachers, early childhood teachers (preschool 4+ years) and secondary teachers to engage in a unique professional development experience.

⏰ FRIDAY 2 AUGUST: Primary/ECTs
⏰ FRIDAY 9 AUGUST: Secondary teachers

Tickets 👇👇👇
https://www.ieu.asn.au/environment-conference-2024/

Right to disconnect: Don't miss SCEGGS Darlinghurst principal Jenny Allum supporting the right of teachers and support staff to uninterrupted downtime. The IEU is pushing back on employer groups who would like to limit this legislated right.

Read our Media Release: https://www.ieu.asn.au/media-release-reinforcing-the-right-to-disconnect-updated/

Independent Education Union of Australia NSW / ACT Branch The union supporting staff in the independent education community.

🤩 North West Reps training: Today IEU Representatives gathered in Armidale to learn more about their working rights. They gained valuable industrial insight into their workplaces and walked away with a solid understanding of how strong union Chapters make a difference at work. Thank you to all who joined us today - especially those who travelled from as far as Tamworth and Wee Waa (3.5 hours drive!). We are stronger together! Solidarity! ✊💪✊

See link in comments for upcoming Reps training dates and other professional development opportunities.

RIGHT TO DISCONNECT ⚡ Yesterday, the IEU represented members at a Fair Work consultation to push back against employer moves to restrict members’ entitlements to disconnect during downtime. Here’s IEUA Federal Assistant Secretary Anthony Odgers and NSW/ACT Organiser Kendall Warren pictured outside the consultation.

Read full update https://www.ieu.asn.au/right-to-disconnect-at-fwc/

BREAKING NEWS: Industrial manslaughter is now officially a crime in NSW.

🌿 IEU Environment Conference 2024: Out of the classroom and into nature! 🌿

Join us for a special opportunity for K-6 teachers, early childhood teachers (preschool 4+ years) and secondary teachers to engage in a unique professional development experience.

⏰ FRIDAY 2 AUGUST: Primary/ECTs
⏰ FRIDAY 9 AUGUST: Secondary teachers

Tickets 👇👇👇

https://www.ieu.asn.au/environment-conference-2024/

In today's letters to the editor in the Sydney Morning Herald, support for Elise Christian's opinion piece on the impact of exemptions to anti-discrimination laws.

The IEU believes faith-based schools can still thrive without the need to discriminate. Employers have nothing to fear from modern community standards.