Tasmanian Catholic employees to vote on industrial action
Staff in Tasmanian Catholic schools are taking steps towards industrial action after two years of delays from their employers on an Agreement that would bring their working conditions up to standards long ago reached in the state sector.
On Monday 22 July, the IEU Victoria Tasmania told members it will be applying for a protected action ballot order (PABO) from the Fair Work Commission (FWC) to allow its long suffering members in Tasmanian Catholic schools the opportunity to vote for industrial action.
WHAT IS A PABO?
A PABO is a secret ballot that allows union members to vote on whether they want the option to take protected industrial action. Only IEU members are allowed to vote on the PABO and it's only IEU members who can take protected industrial action if it is granted.
If IEU members vote Yes and the Fair Work Commission grants the PABO, it doesn’t mean the union will take industrial action, but it means we can take industrial action, within a prescribed timeframe, that is protected by law.
WHY DO IEU MEMBERS NEED A PABO?
The Tasmanian Catholic Agreement is two years overdue. Catholic Education Tasmania (CET) continues to delay bargaining and stick with untenable anti-worker claims like the forced transfer of employees up to 65kmh from their place of residence and the extension of the school year.
Frustrated, overworked members have told their union that the campaign needs to go to the next level to force meaningful, respectful action from their employer.
SURVEY REVEALS STAFF DISILLUSIONMENT
The following responses to an IEU survey of Tasmanian Catholic education staff reveal the frustration and bewilderment of workers:
“I'm disheartened by the lack of empathy and compassion from my employer. It makes me wonder if they remember we are real people.”
“Losing faith with employer. We’re just a number to them. I now realise that.”
“Support is well overdue and not only are teachers suffering but as a result students are suffering with learning outcomes due to the unsustainable expectations of staff members”.
Read more survey responses here
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
IEU members will be notified about when the PABO vote will open. Members will have one week to vote. If they vote Yes to the PABO, and CET refuses to budge on its contentious claims, industrial action will follow.
Cara Maxworthy, Acting General Secretary, IEU Victoria Tasmania, said, “The PABO application shows that dedicated, overworked members in Tasmanian Catholic schools are fed up with their working conditions not matching colleagues in state schools, more than two years after their Agreement expired. We are confident IEU members will vote Yes to taking industrial action, and we will throw the resources of the union behind any actions they plan.”
Key concerns of IEU members in Tasmanian Catholic schools:
Parental leave: One member said, “Working for a family-focused organisation and now being pregnant I feel that it is deeply unfair that if I were to have a child whilst working for a government school I would have four extra weeks of paid leave”.
Extra working days: The TCEO claim to increase the number of days already overworked teachers are required to work is another slap in the face for staff.
Forced transfer of staff: Unsurprisingly, the TCEO claim to be able to move staff to schools as far as 65 km from their homes is considered “far too excessive”.