Tasmanian Catholic members gear up for a fight

IEU members in Tasmanian Catholic schools have been waiting too long for a new Agreement – and now their whole state knows about it!

Tasmania’s major two newspapers, Hobart’s Mercury and Launceston’s Examiner have run feature articles discussing the plight of overworked, frustrated Catholic educators, helping further stoke the fire in the belly of members campaigning for a reasonable deal.

It’s now more than two years since the expiry of the last IEU-negotiated Agreement for staff in Tasmanian Catholic schools.

It’s also nearly two years since the IEU tabled a log of claims for our next Agreement. In that time, we’ve done everything possible to negotiate a fair deal.

However, this year the employer belatedly tabled new claims (18 months into negotiations!) including the right to forcibly move staff between Catholic schools and a demand to extend the school year - allegedly to help manage workloads!

Dealing with these ridiculous new additions has delayed discussion of the union’s progressive claims.

In late November, staff joined Reps in Hobart and Launceston for training focused on the fight for a new Agreement. Sessions in both cities received enthusiastic support from members fed up with the interminable delays in getting their conditions updated to match colleagues in other sectors, with measures aimed to alleviate workload issues foremost.

The message emerging from those meetings was: Now it is time to fight!

If, as appears highly likely, there is no real movement on a deal by the end of this year, the union needs to turn up the pressure from the first day back in 2024.

What Tasmanian Catholic members can do:

• Invite your colleagues to join you in your union. We need more members behind us if we're going to win this campaign!

• Keep the conversations going in your workplace. Direct your colleagues to this page on our website, where they can sign up to our campaign email list.

• Support your Rep! If there’s a bigger campaign next year, we need to grow and empower every IEU Sub-Branch.

• No Rep? Get one elected! Contact your IEU Organiser to discuss how to get this done in your school.

• Finally - rest up over the summer, enjoy your holidays, and be ready to hit the ground running next year!

Tasmanian Rep training participants fly the flags in late November.

 Please don't hesitate to contact your union if you have any questions or need support!