Media broadcasts the frustration of IEU members over MACS inaction

In late July, the central Victorian media took a keen interest in actions held IEU members in Bendigo and Ballarat intended to highlight the lack of progress being made on an Agreement for education staff in ‘MACS’ schools.

WIN TV news ran comprehensive coverage of rallies held on Thursday 28 July in both locations and featured interviews with St Patricks College Rep Peter Joyce and IEU Organisers.

ABC radio news covered the rallies on Friday morning and the Bendigo Advertiser and Ballarat Courier ran strong news stories.

Click to view WIN News coverage of IEU rallies.

There wasn’t an outlet the union contacted that didn’t want to know about and tell the story of educators at the end of their tether asking for a fair go.

At the events, members rallied outside Catholic Education offices then a select delegation presented ‘report cards’ filled in by members to employers representatives. The cards demanded action on a deal to ease workloads overburdened with administrative duties and other endlessly multiplying non-teaching tasks and expectations.

The Ballarat Courier reports on the IEU rallies. For the story on the web, click here.

Historically there has always been one Agreement for all staff in Catholic schools, but this time the Sale Diocese split off and asked for a separate Agreement.

Recently, an in-principle deal was reached with Sale, which matches most of the salary and conditions improvements won by the AEU in government schools and has a big focus on tackling the massive problem of teacher workloads. This deal will be voted on shortly by members there.

Unfortunately MACS negotiations have not been so productive, and their bargaining representatives continue to push back against our claims for improving workloads. 

Essentially, this means that government school staff and Sale Catholic school staff are likely to have soon locked in significant improvements to workloads (and many other things such as better parental leave), while those in Catholic schools across the rest of the state are getting left behind.

Apart from the difficulty of this for tired educators looking for a sign of respect after all the sacrifices they’ve made during the pandemic, the resulting uncertainty is becoming a major problem for principals trying to plan for 2023 staffing.

On the 10th of August, the Herald Sun reported on the upcoming rally, staff spoke to ABC radio in Shepparton and Deb James had a prime stint on 3AW drive radio in Melbourne to state the union’s case. ABC News online also ran an extensive report detailing the IEU’s demands. As did the Shepparton News.

The Herald Sun reports on the James Goold House rally.

ABC Shepparton worked fast to report the IEU rally held at Notre Dame College, 10 August.

The Shepparton News reports on the Notre Dame action.

IEU members rally in Bendigo.

Here’s a gallery of just a few of the report cards which members have returned: https://www.ieuvictas.org.au/macs-report-cards , and there’s a list of what’s been provisionally won in the Sale Agreement here. There’s more explainers about its potential benefits here. 

The IEU’s members and their union are stepping up their campaign for action, and by the looks of these events, there is a community out there hungry to know about their issues and about to be well fed about it by all forms of mainstream media.

Click on this image to see more of the report cards signalling IEU members’ frustration.

Ballarat members don union ponchos to protest slow bargaining in Ballarat.

IEU members at St Josephs Ferntree Gully chant ‘1 October 2020’ – the date they got their last pay rise – before presenting a motion to the Principal calling on Employer Bargaining Reps to get fair dinkum and get the deal done.

Members at Mackillop Education Geelong based a motion expressing their “extreme frustration” at the lack of progress in negotiations for a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement at their school.

Members at Catholic Regional College Sydenham also passed the motion calling for action on an Agreement.

Notre Dame members voice their dissatisfaction, 10 August.

This sign will be held up by Melbourne compatriots of Marian College members at the 11 August rally at James Goold House.