SUPPLEMENT TO THE AEU NEWS • FEBRUARY 2013

A E U h e a d o f f i c e 112 Tr e n e r r y C r e s c e n t , A b b o t s f o r d 3 0 6 7 Te l : 0 3 9 417 2 8 2 2 Fa x : 13 0 0 6 5 8 0 7 8 We b : w w w. a e u v i c . a s n . a u

SCHOOLS SPECIALNEWSLETTER

In the face of legal threats from an intransigent government, we must maintain our unity.

AS YOUR new president I welcome you back to the start of the new school year and wish you all the best in 2013. Things are already moving quickly!I look forward to the year ahead and my leadership team is committed to

continuing the strong legacy of Mary Bluett and Brian Henderson.As a staunch supporter of public education, a graduate of public schools in

country Victoria and having taught in public secondary schools, I feel privileged to be leading the union.

Last year was a huge year for those working in public education in Victoria. We staged the largest stopwork in Victoria’s history, witnessed a destructive and unprecedented attack on TAFE and, more positively, the introduction to Federal Parliament of the Australian Education Bill 2012, paving the way for the Gonski Review’s recommendations that should secure much more money for public schools and disadvantaged students.

Negotiations continue with the states over their contributions to a reformed funding model based on David Gonski’s recommendations, and May’s federal budget should commit money to it.

But our immediate challenge is securing a new agreement for our school staff.As this newsletter goes to press, the Baillieu Government has finally agreed to

come back to the negotiating table. This is a step in the right direction and sets a crucial test for the Premier. After months of stonewalling, this is his opportunity to put forward a fair and reasonable offer to resolve our dispute.

While we are pleased to see talks resume, our campaign must continue. After 16 months of negotiations we still do not have an agreement.

In November we revised our original pay claim of 30% over three years — which aligned with Ted Baillieu’s pre-election promise to make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the country — and sought 4.2% a year for three years.

This was a significant shift and a significant concession: 4.2% would put us in

front of NSW and SA teachers (who won deals without the need for action late last year) and match rises granted by the Baillieu Government to Victorian police.

It is a fair and reasonable proposal. The Government disappointingly responded with legal threats, claiming a number of clauses — mostly relating to contract employment — in our claims for teachers and ES staff are illegal. If the union does not remove those clauses by January 29, the Premier will seek an injunction from the Federal Court under the Fair Work Act to prevent our industrial action.

The AEU remains absolutely committed to reducing the levels of contract employment among teachers and ES staff. As I write, we are working with our lawyers on a response to the Government’s threat — we will keep you informed.

While everything is moving rapidly, we must continue to campaign with the strength and numbers that we did at our stopworks and rallies last year.

On February 14 we will again rally at Hisense Arena (Rod Laver being already taken). A massive turnout will be essential. We want to resolve this dispute sooner rather than later. To do that, we must maintain the pressure. The work you do with students is too important and too undervalued.

Our 38-hour-week is now in place despite the threat of court action. It will highlight to the Government and public the considerable amounts of unpaid and voluntary work carried out by teachers and support staff in their own time.

A line must be drawn when dealing with a government that shows so little respect for your work. This fight is not just about our wages and conditions. School staff want to be treated fairly and with respect for the important work they do.

In solidarity,

unitedWe stand

Meredith Peace AEU Victoria branch president

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AEU members kept up the great turnout at our rolling stopwork rallies right to the end. Our last AEU News of 2012 went to press too early to include pictures from the December rallies below. Here’s looking forward to seeing another sea of red in Melbourne on February 14. �

Still rolling!

2 Schools newsletter | february 2013

BELMONT

BELMONT

Level 3/432 St Kilda Road, Melbourne 3004

Visit us at www.retirevic.com.au

Retirement Victoria is the AEU’s preferred provider of financial and retirement planning services to members.

Retirement Victoria Pty Ltd is an authorised representative of Millennium3 Financial Services Pty Ltd AFSL 244252.

AEU PREFERRED PROVIDERS

APPOINTMENTS (03) 9820 8088

Level 3/432 St Kilda Road, Melbourne 3004

Visit us at www.retirevic.com.au

AEU PREFERRED PROVIDERS

APPOINTMENTS (03) 9820 8088Retirement Victoria is the AEU’s preferred provider of financial and retirement planning services to members.

Retirement Victoria Pty Ltd is an authorised representative of Millennium3 Financial Services Pty Lts AFSL 244252

THE VALUE OF A PERSONAL APPOINTMENTClients referred to Retirement Victoria recently mentioned how worthwhile a personal appointment had been compared to their attendance at a seminar run by a large financial institution. The seminar was general in nature with an over-whelming stream of information delivered by way of a power-point presentation. It was slick and glossy but could not focus on personal needs and circumstances.

By contrast, at the end of a one hour appointment we had designed a tailored financial model that addressed super, social security and related taxation issues. The diagram on the whiteboard provided a visual model of a strategy that would satisfy our clients’ retirement needs. It was a positive, productive outcome followed up later with a detailed financial plan. Seminars have their place, we have run them successfully for years, but a personal appointment with an experienced RV adviser is a great way to prepare for retirement.

Justin Mullaly deputy branch president

FROM the start of Term 1, members in every school across the state will ramp up their action

to get the Baillieu Government to respect the work we do and put a fair deal on the table for teachers, support staff and principals.

Confronted with a dithering premier, who still seeks to introduce performance pay into Victorian government schools, the ban on work outside of the 38 hours of attendance (and the equivalent for part-timers) will send a clear message to govern-ment that we will not be taken for granted.

It is the countless unpaid voluntary hours of work by school staff, week in week out, that keep our schools running effectively and ensure our students get the educational opportunities they deserve.

The ban covers all work that would involve members in schools working more than 38 hours in any week, as provided for in Clause 22(2) or 22(5) of the Victorian Government Schools Agreement 2008, or working more than the hours required or agreed under Clause 19 of the Victorian Government Schools – Schools Services Officers Agreement 2004, as varied.

The ban applies to AEU principal class, executive class, teacher class, paraprofessional class and education support class members.

The action will begin at 12am on January 30 for all members.

It is critical that all members in every school implement the ban. We know this will be a challenging new campaign action but by each sub-branch banding together and taking this action jointly, we can increase the political pressure on this government right around the state.

Sub-branches should meet as soon as possible at the beginning of term to take the following steps:

• Clarifythehoursof attendanceforES,teacher and principal members, including any variation as permitted by exemptions outlined in the FAQs

• Clarifytheattendancerequirementsforscheduled parent–teacher interviews

• Ensuretheschooldevelopsascheduleof meetings as required by VGSA 2008, clause 22(2)(b).

• Identifyduties,meetings,eventsoractivitiesthat will be affected by the ban and commu-nicate this to all members and parents at the school.

The AEU will provide a pro forma letter for parents.

Sub-branches should use this as the basis for any notice to parents about the action.

Detailed advice about how to implement the ban, including advice about the scheduling of parent–teacher interview meetings, has been emailed to members, and can also be found in the members-only campaign section of the AEU website: www.aeuvic.asn.au/eba_members.

By sticking together, campaigning together, fighting together and maintaining a united front, we will win this campaign for ourselves, our students and for public education. �

Implementing the 38-hour banIt’s time to make this government understand and value the work we do.

ES time in lieu and the 38-hour banONE major impact of the latest ban will be on time-in-lieu (TIL) provisions in the agreement for

education support members. Currently, where ES members are required to work beyond their hours of attendance, “the

employer shall grant time off in lieu equivalent to the hours of work in excess of the employee’s normal hours of duty” [see Clause 19(7)(c)(ii)].

Under the bans in place from the start of the school year, members will not be working beyond their hours of attendance and therefore no TIL will be accrued.

This may have an impact where ES member are “recalled” during school holiday periods and TIL is used to offset this recall period. It is worth discussing this at the first AEU meeting of the year to work out the impact on your school.

The only exception for ES members to the ban on working outside normal hours would be where work is required to enable parent-teacher interviews. Any time worked in these circumstances would attract the offset time set out in the time-in-lieu provisions.

We all know that staff work more than the hours they are paid for, primarily because there is more work than can actually be achieved within normal hours.

At this stage of the campaign, though, it is essential that AEU members prioritise their workload and focus on those tasks that are central to the core education and curriculum of of our students. � — James Rankin vice president, primary

EBA

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schools

www.aeuvic.asn.au 3

BELMONT

STOPworkThursday FEB 14

HISENSE ARENA10.30am

Authorised by Meredith Peace, AEU Victorian branch president, 112 Trenerry Crescent, Abbotsford 3067

#2406

2406_Save_Date_Poster_Feb_14.indd 1 25/01/13 11:14 AM

Simultaneous rally in Mildura

4 Schools newsletter | february 2013