Carolyn is a committed unionist and a passionate football follower who took a keen interest in the Women’s World Cup.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll highlight important provisions in the new Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement, including some important details you might have missed which could significantly enhance your working life.

Consultation is crucial to the operation of the Catholic Education Multi Enterprise Agreement (CEMEA). The key vehicle for consultation in your schools is the Consultative Committee.

Fewer meetings, more efficiently run. Every educator wants that. And this Agreement delivers the means for that outcome through the 30+8 workload model.

The CEMEA increases the period of payment of accident make-up pay, to eligible employees, to a maximum of 39 weeks, inclusive of non-term weeks.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll highlight important provisions in the new Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement, including some important details you might have missed which could significantly enhance your working life.

Victorian Catholic IEU members, you have an Agreement. Not a proposal, a draft, or an implementation guide; you are now proud co-owners of a Fair Work Commision approved document which legally enforces wholescale improvements to workload regulation, leave entitlements and much more.

For the first time under this Agreement, the many hours of employer-directed work outside of normal hours undetaken by teachers in Victorian Catholic schools are accounted for and acknowledged.

All employees apart from casuals with a personal leave balance will be eligible for one day (7.6 hours) paid leave for personal reasons to be taken at a time approved by the principal.

The CEMEA makes a commitment at the outset to minimise the use of fixed-term employment in its schools. This guiding principle is followed by strict specifics.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll highlight important provisions in the new Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement, including some important details you might have missed which could significantly enhance your working life.

The CEMEA increases the entitlement to paid family and domestic violence leave for employees other than casual employees, to up to 20 days per school year.

Lurking at clause 9.3 of CEMEA is an important statement: “The parties are committed to working together in development strategies to support the workload of Teachers and Principals…”

Under CEMEA, all Education Support Staff previously on Level 1 have been classified to Level 2, lifting the top pay point in their incremental scale from $55,374 (Category B 2021) to $68,260 in July and then to $72,460 in July 2025.

This is a huge change - for the first time, this Agreement defines the working week of teachers, and protects their professional autonomy by putting strict limits around the amount of time in any week that a teacher can be directed by their employer.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll highlight important provisions in the new Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement, including some important details you might have missed which could significantly enhance your working life.

Changes to superannuation and leave directly tackle the gender pay gap and low super balances for female workers.

there’s no benefit from working fewer hours if you don’t end up with any free days.

All the articles laying out the benefits of the CEMEA Victorian Catholic Schools Agreement are collected here.