Industrial action changed everything for the IEU Tasmanian Catholic campaign
St Brigid's staff get behind the campaign, May 2024.
In early September, IEU members Tasmanian Catholic schools won a major victory for unity and solidarity when an in-principle deal was at last confirmed for a new Agreement improving and protecting their working conditions.
It was industrial action – and the threat of it – that finally moved employers to budge on contentious claims, and drop resistance to necessary improvements in conditions, after three years of delayed negotiations.
It had been ten years since industrial action occurred in Tasmanian Catholic schools – and in 2024, winning the right to take protected industrial action is a lengthy, complex and technical process.
It paid off - in August, members resoundingly supported all 18 potential industrial actions in the protected action ballot, with over 80 per cent support for every proposed form of industrial action, with six receiving over 90 per cent backing. This result meant members were legally permitted to take actions ranging from partial work-bans limiting email responses all the way up to stop-work action or full-day strikes. Importantly, it also sent an extraordinarily powerful message to employers.
The win
After one day of work bans, and just a few days before rolling half-day stop works were due to commence, employers came back to the table with a position which allowed an in-principle deal to be reached.
Three years after the previous Agreement expired, the employer finally dropped its contentious claim for the forced relocation of staff and agreed to union claims on:
pay parity with government school staff;
low income payments;
teacher workload reductions;
improved paid parental leave;
improved teacher classification progression;
job security;
leave improvements; and
increased meal and first aid allowances.
Abi Ball, primary school Rep at St Mary’s College, said the campaign brought members together and demonstrated their determination for an Agreement to be finalised.
“It helped clarify what is important to us and how much we are prepared to show strength, when necessary. I was also very glad that resolution was found early, because it is always a challenging choice to take action!”
IEU Organisers involved in the campaign said the “genuine threat” of staff walking out had a huge influence, and the formality of the process proved they were serious about their claims.
Members had indicated they were prepared to go out on strike, risking precious pay in a cost of living crisis, to demonstrate their concerns at their work conditions falling behind the state sector.
The wash-up
When members and Reps were told industrial action would cease, they were “elated and relieved”. Dedicated educators want to be in the classroom, helping their students. Industrial action is a necessary, but last resort.
Organisers were intrigued to see that some previously quiet sub-branches had responded strongly when the time came for action and were prepared to stop work, “putting their pay on the line for others”.
“It showed how deeply felt the issues were,” they said.
Hard working educators “were exhausted and felt disrespected” by how long it had taken bargaining to deliver fundamental improvements. They stood up for their colleagues to achieve necessary changes.
Participants in the Anna Stewart program, which took place at a key moment in the campaign, when the PABO was approved, provided the campaign with a major fillip and took a lot of ideas and enthusiasm back to their school sub-branches.
What ELSE did the campaign deliver?
Here’s the big one: IEU membership in Tasmanian Catholic schools rose by 18 per cent in 2024! That leaves your union stronger, better able to enforce workplace conditions, and re-energised for our next campaign.
The IEU as a collective is now better informed, better trained, bigger, and has more members aware of the power of collective action.
Campaigns like this have a galvanising effect on the union. Many members in union-hostile environments have a new confidence in their ability to collaborate to make their concerns known after participating in successful actions during this year.
Organisers report “more energy for change across the board” as a result of the campaign. Many members are also better informed about where to turn for industrial assistance, and how to organise in their schools to achieve results for all their staff.
We’ve also had some great coverage of our campaign issues in the media, which helps to spread the message of members more widely.
The union will also benefit from having undergone the exacting PABO process. We saw the benefits of Rep training for building industrial know-how and campaigning strength - under the new Rep’s Rights laws, we can expand this capacity and engage and inform the broader workforce.
Learnings from this hard-fought campaign will inform future efforts, starting with a push for significant wage improvements in the next Victorian Catholic Agreement.
What’s in the deal?
✅ No forced transfers between schools under this Agreement
✅ Low income payments
$1000 payment will be made in March 2025 to most school support employees and teachers at or below Level 4 (pro-rata for part-time employees)
✅ Pay parity
Nexus with government school salaries maintained and further 3% increase in 2025
✅ Teacher workload reductions
Primary teacher maximum face-to-face teaching time to reduce over the life of the Agreement from 22 to 21 hours per week
Secondary teacher maximum non-teaching duties reduced from 5 to 4 hours per week (from mid-2025)
✅ Improved parental leave
Paid primary carer leave increased to 18 weeks, paid partner leave increased to 4 weeks
Superannuation payments made on first year of maternity leave
10 days’ paid foster carer leave
✅ Improved teacher classification progression
Removal of current pay progression caps for teachers without full registration
Four-year trained teachers to commence at Level 5
✅ Job security
Inclusion of redundancy pay schedule
✅ Leave improvements
Paid family violence leave increased to 20 days
3 days’ paid cultural leave for First Nations employees
✅ Increased meal and first aid allowances
The (very long) timeline of Tasmanian
Catholic Education bargaining
15 February 2022
Following extensive member consultation, the Independent Education Union provides a Log of Claims to the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office Bargaining Team.
15 March
IEU meets with the TCEO, and explains our log of claims in detail.
23 May
The employers issue the Notice of Employee Representational Rights.
15 June
IEU emails the TCEO seeking date for a bargaining meeting.
The TCEO fails to respond, and continues to refuse to meet with the IEU in person. TCEO claims it is consulting directly with staff through a ‘portal’, but cannot satisfactorily explain how this ‘consultation’ will operate.
8 August
IEU makes an application to the Fair Work Commission for good faith bargaining orders. This forces a commitment from the TCEO to meet with us on three scheduled dates, including at least once in person.
6 + 26 October
The parties meet online. Limited progress.
7 December
The TCEO meets in person with IEU bargaining representatives at their lawyer’s office in Melbourne
Early 2023
Thanks to a change of personnel on the TCEO bargaining team, regular in-person meetings resume - however, progress is far too slow, with the employers apparently determined to undercut conditions in government schools.
Mid-2023
The TCEO continues to resist crucial workload-busting measures that would bring Catholic schools closer into line with Tasmanian Government schools. Astonishingly, they also table unacceptable new claims - 18 months into negotiations - to extend the working year and allow the forcible relocation of staff between schools.
November
IEU Reps from Catholic schools meet and determine to commence member campaigning in Term 1 2024 if employer representatives continue to fail to bring an acceptable position to the bargaining table.
March 2024
‘Campaign Blitz Week’ sees dozens of schools committing to take action to build awareness of the bargaining impasse and to put pressure on employers to revise their position.
July
There have been four meetings with the TCEO since March and there is some progress. However, many of our claims are still in discussion and awaiting formal response. A member survey reveals the depth of dissatisfaction amongst members at employer intransigence.
August
The IEU meets with Catholic Education Tasmania for a full day of bargaining negotiations and IEU members’ endorsement of the PABO results in real shift at the table. The deal isn’t done but agreement is closer around some key issues.
IEU members begin to undertake industrial action in the form of partial work bans. The IEU meets again with employers and the parties are able to reach in-principle Agreement on some of the key issues most important to IEU members.