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Independent schools: Say YES to single interest bargaining

In May this year, the Association for Independent Schools (AIS) commenced bargaining with the IEU for a new multi-enterprise agreement (MEA) for teachers in NSW and ACT independent schools.

Key issues in bargaining for a teachers’ MEA

Although the AIS has agreed to some of the union’s claims (such as improvements to paid parental leave), there are key issues outstanding which make the AIS’ offer unsatisfactory, including:

Pay offers are below (or only marginally above) the expected rates of pay for teachers working in NSW government schools for the next three years (link to pay comparisons). While the pay offer for NSW teachers is unsatisfactory, the offer for ACT teachers is still not there yet either (see comparison), and
Lack of fairness and transparency about teachers’ workload. The IEU is calling for school-based standards that clearly set out the workload expectations at your school. The school-based standards should include your face-to-face teaching hours, PD days, meeting times, term dates.

Bargaining has reached a stalemate.

Watch an update on the state of pay for teachers in ACT independent schools.

What is single interest bargaining?

A new bargaining opportunity in bargaining for MEA.

The AIS commenced bargaining for a ‘cooperative MEA’, meaning it would be made under the cooperative bargaining stream. In this stream, the IEU, as your bargaining representative, has very limited bargaining power.

The IEU seeks to bargain for a new Teachers MEA under the single interest bargaining stream. This stream, introduced in June 2023, will provide the union with more rights in bargaining.

With the single interest bargaining stream, for the first time in nearly 20 years, the IEU can:

ask the Fair Work Commission to resolve bargaining disputes for fairer outcomes and
take protected industrial action!

Under this stream, teachers will have the option to take protected industrial action for better pay and conditions.

The IEU does not want to lock in a substandard deal for the next three years.

Let’s seize this once-in-a-generation opportunity and say yes to single interest bargaining!

Say yes to single interest bargaining

How can we achieve single interest bargaining?

To convince the Fair Work Commission to authorise us to bargain in this stream, the IEU needs at least 50% of all teachers at your school to sign our petition.

Say yes to better conditions in your school!

Action on workloads: School-based standards

The IEU is calling for school-based standards that clearly set out the workload expectations at your school. The school-based standards should include your face-to-face teaching hours, PD days, meeting times, term dates.

Here’s a video overview: