What’s too long? The wait for a deal in Tasmanian Catholic education
Negotiations for a new Agreement in Tasmanian Catholic education have dragged on so long it’s hard not to be nostalgic and look back.
On 1 September 2021, the year’s 35th Wednesday, Peter Gutwein was Tasmanian Premier and Jeremy Rockliff his deputy, after the Liberal government was returned in the 1 May 2021 election.
Scott Morrison was Australia’s Prime Minister.
The top trending story on Twitter and the internet was that former Collingwood President Eddie McGuire being refused entry into Western Australia for the upcoming AFL Grand Final, relocated from Melbourne because of COVID restrictions.
Victorian state government leaders were about to announce a modest easing of pandemic restrictions.
Stay by The Kid Laroi and Justin Beiber was the number one song.
And… on 1 September 2021, the Tasmanian Catholic Education Single Enterprise Agreement 2018 (the TCESEA) reached its nominal expiry date.
St Brigid’s members make their feelings known.
On 20 May, when this edition of The Point is printed, 999 days will have passed since the TCESEA nominal expiry date.
2021 feels a long time ago.
That’s because it is a long time ago.
Since then, Tasmanian educators in government schools had a new Agreement finalised. There have been changes of leadership at Catholic Education Tasmania.
But still, hardworking staff in Tasmanian Catholic schools wait for their employers to do the right thing, drop ludicrous anti-worker claims, treat them with respect and bring their working conditions up to the industry standard in the Apple Isle.
From the start, employers delayed. In September 2022, we reported that the Tasmanian Catholic Education Office (TCEO) “seem determined to do everything they can to stall things”.
“It is nearly a year since the last Agreement expired and although that Agreement keeps running until a new Agreement is reached, wages and conditions need updating and improving,” we reported.
The TCEO had insisted that the few meetings they agreed to with the IEU were to be held online, once a month, for only 2 hours and at those meetings they said NO to almost all member claims.
In Term 3, 2022, the IEU was forced to drag the TCEO into the Fair Work Commission to get help to set a reasonable timeline of meetings to get things done – but even then, the TCEO tried to avoid talking about members’ issues.
They tried to deny IEU officials entry to schools. They tried to ban Organisers from bringing Tim Tams into staff rooms. They were more concerned with frustrating the union than finalising an overdue deal for dedicated staff.
A member survey taken in 2021 found, for teachers, the main areas of concern in order were:
1) Reducing workloads
2) Getting fair pay increases
3) Access to professional development and training
4) Improved work environment
For support staff, the main areas of concern in order were:
1) Getting fair pay increases
2) Access to professional development and training
3) Improved work environment
4) Improved leave and related provisions
The education issues most important to IEU members in Tasmanian Catholic schools were:
Getting more support for special needs students
Getting more personal preparation time
Having regulation of class sizes in the Agreement.
Those are the priorities of student-focused professionals deserving of respect and assistance to achieve the best outcomes for schools. They are the priorities of reasonable people who love their jobs and their sector.
999 days is so long…
An Asian elephant (gestation 645 days) could have had a baby, and started on a second
A lion (108 days gestation) could have grown a pride
Mars went around the sun (687 days) and we missed a minimum-energy launch window for a Martian expedition (780 days)
The Tasmanian JackJumpers came into existence AND became National Basketball League champions.