Bargaining has commenced for new enterprise agreements (EAs) for teachers and support staff employed in Christian schools in NSW and the ACT.
NSW Christian schools
In 2023, staff in 23 independent Christian schools were covered by the agreement the IEU negotiated with the Association of Independent Schools (now Independent Schools NSW).
As that agreement nears expiry, the union is preparing to commence bargaining for a new EA.
However, several NSW Christian schools have moved away from Independent Schools NSW and have appointed Prolegis Lawyers as their bargaining representative.
The first bargaining meeting for this group of schools was held on 12 August 2026 (after Newsmonth went to press) and organisers will be visiting schools to talk about the claims in the coming weeks.
Two groups of NSW Christian school employers are negotiating separately with the IEU through their bargaining representatives: Independent Schools NSW which represents the vast majority; and Prolegis Lawyers, which represents eight schools.
Several individual schools have also issued a notice of employee representational rights (NERR) to staff for single-employer agreements, including Nepean Christian School, Mountains Christian College, Tyndale Christian School and Wagga Wagga Christian College.
The union will advocate for a seven-step pay model for teachers employed in all NSW Christian schools while advancing claims for improved parental leave, non-initial primary carer leave, and workload transparency.
Schools operated by Christian Community Ministries
Christian Community Ministries (CCM) is a Queensland-based organisation that owns and operates 16 schools across Australia.
In NSW, CCM operates The Lakes Christian College in Castlereagh, Rivers Christian College in Inverell and Brindabella Christian College in the ACT.
The current agreement expires on 31 December 2026. Each school has a representative on the bargaining committee, along with union officers from Queensland, SA, WA, NSW and the ACT.
So far, three bargaining meetings between the employer and the union and staff reps have been held.
The employer has accepted several claims from employees, including improvements to parental leave, averaging of wages for term time-only employees and two days’ discretionary leave for non-teaching staff.
The employer also agreed to review the classification structures for support staff and early childhood education and care staff.
The union is pressing the employer for a better deal on workloads, consultative mechanisms and the excessive four-year length proposed for the new agreement.
The employer provided a preliminary pay offer, revised classification structure and draft EA at the last meeting on 29 July, which the bargaining representatives are reviewing.
This agreement is based primarily on Queensland terms and conditions, which are less favourable than those that apply to schools in NSW and the ACT.
However, as a single-employer enterprise agreement, CCM is not required to obtain the consent of bargaining representatives before putting a proposed agreement to a vote.
ACT Christian schools
Bargaining for new EAs for teachers and support staff in ACT Christian schools is in its final stages.
The current EAs expired on 30 June 2023 (teachers) and 30 June 2024 (support staff).
The wages and conditions in the new EAs will provide employees with strong improvements that are comparable to those offered in similar schools in NSW.
The current pay offer for teachers, early childhood education and care staff and support staff includes an initial adjustment paid in 2026 and annual wage increases of 3.6% in February 2027, 3.5% in February 2028 and 3.4% in February 2029.
Published in the August 2026 edition of Newsmonth.
