The Workload Agreement cheat sheet

The lowdown on the Victorian Catholic Schools Agreement, and links to further information on the deal’s main issues.

Why Vote Yes?

A Yes vote makes improved working conditions law.

• This is the first suite of dedicated measures aimed at curbing endless workload intensification, and the stress and burnout that creates, head on. It includes the biggest reduction to Scheduled Class Time in decades.

• The proposed Agreement also makes significant improvements to parental leave, the pay structure for Education Support staff, and consultation arrangements.

• It sets limits on meetings so staff have time quarantined during the working week to work on planning and assessment at their own discretion.

• We’ve won Time in Lieu provisions – when teachers are directed to perform work outside of the working week, such as for camps and parent nights, they are entitled to take time off in lieu.

A Yes vote advances the cause of teachers trying to achieve a better work/life balance.

It directly addresses burnout and teacher shortages.

It is a big change, and will require adjustments during its implementation, but the proposed Agreement achieves significant improvements to many important conditions, provides better classification structures for education support staff and fundamentally changes the way teacher work is regulated.

 What is the process for getting a new Agreement from here? (Read more here)

Now that members have access to the draft Agreement, there will be a staff vote on 20 & 21 June to determine whether the draft Agreement is sent to the Fair Work Commission for approval. If approved, it becomes a legally binding document.

 Who is eligible to vote?

All staff, including union non-members and full-time, part-time, fixed-term, casual relieving, casual and emergency teacher employees who are employed at the time of the vote.

 What is a successful vote?

For an employer to be bound by the Agreement, 50% + 1 of the total number of their employees who vote must vote in favour of it.

What happens if the majority of voting employees of a particular employer don’t vote in favour of the Agreement?

If the majority of voting employees of any individual employer vote against the Agreement, that employer will not be bound by the Agreement, and their employees will not be legally entitled to the improved conditions and benefits. The 2018 Agreement will continue to apply for that workplace.

Time in Lieu under the proposed Victorian Catholic Agreement (read the full explainer here)

Teachers accrue TIL for any required attendance at structured activities (including camps, parent-teacher interviews, information nights, graduations, open days, excursions and sport) which occur outside of their normal hours of attendance.

For every hour of attendance (or for every 2 hours when ‘on-call’ overnight on camps), a teacher is entitled to a paid hour off work.

If the employer and the employee agree, it can instead be granted as additional payment at the teacher’s normal hourly rate.

 Who keeps track of Time in Lieu?

It is your employer’s responsibility to track all Time in Lieu accrual, and principals have been provided with detailed instructions around this.

However, we advise all members to keep their own records as a backup. It would be enough to keep a central file with a brief note of each activity, the date and the number of hours of TIL accrued.

Can schools demand participation in an activity outside school hours?

Employers can require attendance at a structured school activity outside of regular attendance hours only if such attendance is necessary and reasonable notice is provided.

Teachers have the right to request not to attend an activity if it unreasonably affects their personal or family commitments. Your employer can only refuse this request if they have reasonable grounds to do so.

Generally, teachers should not be required to attend a structured school activity unless it has been agreed to at the Consultative Committee.