URGENT NOTICE: Catholic Systemic Schools Campaign
Dear IEU Member
As Term 3 draws to a close, the IEU writes to you to provide an update on recent actions in the ‘Hear Our Voice’ campaign.
Firstly, we acknowledge all members who have participated in recent actions to visit NSW Members of Parliament and who wrote letters to their state MPs calling for action to address staff shortages and to scrap the unfair wages cap impacting teachers and support staff in all schools. Many members also took an opportunity to greet the IEU mobile billboard truck which toured locations around the state recently.
There is still time to write to your local member. Please just follow this link https://bit.ly/IEUactnow
Please also take a moment to watch Secretary Mark Northam’s latest campaign update.
The IEU has formally written, together with the NSW Teachers Federation, a joint letter calling on the NSW Premier to commit to a process of genuine negotiations to resolve issues facing the profession of critical teacher shortages, uncompetitive salaries, as well as unsustainable workloads and to withdraw any application to enforce an award in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission.
Further, the IEU has written to Diocesan Directors urging that they take every available step to resolve all outstanding matters currently under negotiation with Catholic employers. This includes the immediate resolution of the support staff salary claim and matters under discussion in Work Practices Agreements negotiations. To date, engagement from the Catholic employers has been underwhelming and frustrating.
The IEU has called on all Directors to urge the NSW Government not to proceed with the scheduled hearing in the NSW IRC on 12 October. We have reached a critical moment in this lengthy campaign. Further industrial action may be necessary early in Term 4.
The union will communicate further details in the coming weeks. The IEU urges your continued support for our campaign.
Regards
Mark Northam
Secretary