The week’s best education and union reads
Practical steps to retaining work from home post-pandemic
From Megaphone Journal
Gather evidence if you want to fight for your right to continue working remotely.
Your big questions on COVID vaccinations answered
From Megaphone Journal
Safety, side-effects, immune response… all the major fears about our way out of the pandemic lockdowns addressed calmly.
How education reforms can support teachers around the world instead of undermining them
From The Conversation
In many countries, including the United States, the professional status of teachers has declined in the last decade.
Physical distancing at school is a challenge. Here are 5 ways to keep our children safer
From The Conversation
Physical distancing and use of outdoor spaces for school activities top the list of recommendations to keep children safe from COVID-19.
Disadvantaged students do better at university: study
From the Sydney Morning Herald
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds outperform more advantaged students with the same academic ability in their first year of university. However, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are less likely to progress to year 12.
White supremacist groups are actively recruiting Australian kids online: Expert
From Education HQ
White supremacist groups and others rooted in hate-promoting ideologies are using subversive online tactics to lure Australian children into their fold, a former FBI special agent has warned.
How to talk to the vaccine-hesitant
From IEU Victoria Tasmania
How do we convince those who are reluctant to get the jab? Sorry, debaters. Experts say empathy and compassion work, not facts and evidence.
Join the global call for secure jobs on World Day for Decent Work
From Australian Unions
October 7 is World Day for Decent Work – a day where trade unions across the globe come together to stand up for decent work. Led by the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC), unions are using this day to call on governments to restore and protect secure work.
An online guide to surviving online learning, for parents and students
From Reach Out
Online learning is here for a little while longer, so try this survival guide to help you de-stress and boost your motivation for the end of the year.
In-school mental health support for Victorian secondary students
From The Mandarin
Victoria has brought forward plans to place mental health practitioners in the state’s high schools by a year, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Covid, the Left and radical democracy
From Overland
Jeff Sparrow says recent events in Melbourne confirm that the far right is growing alarmingly during the pandemic.
Education is crucial in the fight against hate speech
From Education International
Misinformation often fuels hate speech, therefore, “as teachers, we must have the professional autonomy to teach expansively and through a broad range of subjects and topics to foster critical thinking among students”.
Sticking Together unionist children’s book
Take a journey through the animal kingdom and discover how important it is for all of us - human and animal alike - to stick together. Sticking Together is a beautifully illustrated children's book produced by the creative team of Trades Hall, just in time for Christmas.
FROM TRADES HALL:
IEU demands end to discrimination
The Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania has started a petition to support government in outlawing discrimination against LGBTIQ+ community by faith organisations including religious schools. Read more about the outdated exemption for faith-based organisations here.
Paid Isolation Leave for All Workers
ASU Private Sector branch is campaigning for the federal government to guarantee paid isolation leave for all workers, to make sure workers don't have to choose between a wage and a safe workplace. Sign the petition here.
Trades Hall statement on vaccination requirement for authorised workers
The CHO has announced that all authorised workers must have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by October 15 in order to continue working on site. You can read the Victorian union movement's response here.
If you’re experiencing difficulties accessing the vaccine or vaccination information, contact your union or our dedicated CovidSafe Workplace team at www.covidsafeworkplace.org
You can book your vaccination by calling the COVID-19 hotline 1800 675 398.
Check out Trades Hall’s FAQs about vaccination here
VTHC is researching workers’ attitudes to vaccination. Please take 3 minutes to share your views. https://www.weareunion.org.au/vaccine_survey
Our number 1 priority is keeping Victorian workers healthy and safe at work. If you have any questions about vaccination or COVID safety at work, contact us https://www.covidsafeworkplace.org/contact-us