IEU appoints expert to work on wages policy

The IEU has shown it is serious about prioritising wages in upcoming negotiations on Agreements by commissioning education and industrial expert Patrick Lee to advise on a new Wages Policy.

In the Term 3 edition of the IEU newspaper The Point, IEU General Secretary David Brear told members that preparations for a campaign on the next Catholic Agreement would start soon, and improved wages would be a priority.

We didn’t have to wait long to see those words put into action!

Lee will be making a special keynote address at IEU Joint Council on Saturday, 26 October, and working with union staff even sooner.

Patrick Lee. Pic: Jason Nicholas/teachinginquiry.com.au

Patrick will be assisting the union to develop a new wages model for teachers, support staff and school leaders, a key goal which emerged from the IEU’s thorough strategic planning process in which the union examined its mission, methods and capabilities.

Patrick has a deep and contemporary understanding of the methodologies and principles of wage determination, having recently been central to the production of the Gallop Report that led to a successful outcome in the campaign for wage improvements in NSW government and Catholic schools.

The appointment is timely given the significant pay increases being achieved by education unions around the country for their members. As David said in The Point, “With a teacher shortage biting across the country and increased cost of living pressures hitting members hard, there must also be wage improvements for staff in Victorian schools”.

An independent wages policy will allow the IEU to put forward a position on pay for all staff that is backed by our own research and evidence.

Patrick’s presentation on 26 October will outline for members the wage outcomes that have been achieved in other states and sectors and explain the principles of wage determination.

Subsequently, he will work with the union to come up with a draft IEU Wages Policy that will be put to the union’s Committee of Management for endorsement.

Patrick Lee with former IEU General Secretary Deb James in East Timor.

The Lee CV

Patrick Lee has previously held senior positions in the IEU NSW and the IEU federal office.

He has represented teachers on bodies including the Commonwealth Schools Council, the NSW Ministerial Advisory Council on Teacher Education and Teacher Quality, and the Registration Committee of the NSW Board of Studies.

He’s been a member of the Mayer Committee on Employment Related Key Competencies, the Board of the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL) and AITSL working parties including the Initial Teacher Education Working Party.

From 2009-2013 he was the chief executive officer of the NSW Institute of Teachers, and he has worked in the field of teacher accreditation and regulation for many years.

As Manager, Initial Teacher Education of the Institute of Teachers, Patrick led the establishment of the policy and procedures for the approval of initial teacher education (ITE) programs, was a member of the Taskforce and Interim Committee advising the NSW Government on the establishment of the Institute and was its chief executive from 2009 to 2013.

Patrick’s recent work has included:

·         member, Sydney School of Education and Social Work Teacher Education Advisory Board

·         chair, External Review Panel of University of Canberra’s initial teacher education programs.

·         panel member, Valuing the Teaching Profession Inquiry (Gallop Report)

·         consultant, NSW Education Standards Authority.

He is a current senior adviser to the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) and the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO), is an Honorary Associate of the School of Education and Social Work of the University of Sydney, and a member of its Teacher Education Advisory Board.

He also had a senior advisor and advocacy role in the 2023 NSW IEU/AEU pay campaign.