Independent schools Now’s the Time Campaign Updates

All the latest updates relating to bargaining for teachers in AIS independent schools in NSW and the ACT.

AIS Independent Schools Multi-Enterprise Agreements – 2026 pay rises are here!

Pay rises of 4.5% are incoming for AIS teachers and PAOS! These pay increases for all staff will come into effect from the first full pay period on or after 1 February. This is the second of three pay rises set out in the MEAs you fought for in 2024. Congratulations, and thank you for your hard work, dedication and support.

Please note: The pay increases of a small number of staff will vary over the life of the agreements.

Keep an eye on your pay slip, check your contract and MEA and contact us if you have any questions or concerns.

Now’s the time to invite your colleagues to join the IEU

These pay rises didn’t come out of nowhere. You made them happen by coming together and fighting for the pay and conditions you deserve. By amplifying our collective voice, we grow our power to claim even better wins in the future. We’re always stronger together.

Not an IEU member? Join today

Strong wins for teachers and professional and operational staff in independent (AIS) schools

MEAs for Independent (AIS) teachers and PAOS in NSW and the ACT have a three-year term, beginning in 2025 and expiring in January 2028. Thanks to your support and dedication, we were able to secure significant pay increases and historic wins for your conditions, including a new workload transparency clause.

Schools must comply with the new workload transparency requirements – that is, advise teachers about the usual face-to-face teaching hours per week or per cycle, general requirements in relation to extracurricular duties and the release time provided for teachers in Leadership Level 1 and Level 2 positions. Read more about workload transparency here.

Understand your pay and conditions: Access your MEA here

Understanding your working rights, as set out in these union-negotiated Multi-Enterprise Agreements (MEAs), is the best way you can ensure they’re protected. Contact the IEU if you have any questions or concerns.

Independent (AIS) Schools Teachers MEA

Independent (AIS) Schools NSW PAOS MEA

Independent (AIS) Schools ACT PAOS MEA

Check your pay! Download your pay and translocation tables

Teachers (New and Existing)

Access your pay scales here

PAOS (Professional and Operational Staff)

Access your pay scales here

What we won

IEU claim for workload transparency

Thanks to the new agreement, independent (AIS) schools are required to be transparent about key aspects of teacher workload required at their school. Schools must advise teachers, on engagement and from time to time, about:

The usual number of face-to-face teaching hours per week or per cycle for a full-time teacher
General requirements in relation to extra-curricular activities, and
The release provided for teachers in Level 1 and Level 2 leadership positions.

This is a historic win that was fiercely resisted by schools until the very last minute. It is a first step in achieving greater transparency about workload in all schools.

Workload transparency resources

The IEU has created a range of resources to assist with the implementation of this provision in your workplace.

Click here to access resources and more info

Salary wins for teachers

These include:

Teachers with four or more years’ experience at Proficient (five or more years in the ACT) will now go straight to Level 2.5 (Level 8 in the ACT), matching the rate that will apply to new teachers. This rate is $127,281 in NSW and $130,643 in the ACT.
All existing teachers classified as Band 3 – Experienced Teacher or Senior Teacher 1 will receive the Accomplished Teacher allowance of $4979 in addition to their salary at Level 2.5 (Level 8 in the ACT). This gives a total salary of $132,260 in NSW and $135,622 in the ACT.
Existing Band 3 teachers and Senior Teacher 1 teachers will be entitled to receive both the Accomplished Teacher allowance and a Leadership position allowance if they are in a leadership position when the new MEA commences.

These improvements particularly benefit teachers with teaching experience of four or more years at Proficient, teachers who have been deemed Band 3 under the previous MEAs and Band 3 teachers in leadership positions.

Improvements in rates of pay for PAOS

The new MEA for Professional and Operational staff will provide annual increases as follows:

Effective from the first full pay period on or after:	Annual percentage increase
1 February 2025	4%
1 February 2026	4.5%
1 February 2027	4%

Depending on your classification and salary step, you may receive increases above the stated annual percentage due to transitional arrangements under a revised classification structure.

Translocation to the new classification structure will provide:

Classification	Range of increases at commencement of MEA
Clerical and Administrative Levels 1 – 4	Between 5% – 22%
School Assistants Levels 1 – 4	Between 5% – 7%
Grounds and Maintenance Levels 1 – 3	Between 4% – 13%
General Operational Staff Levels 1 – 5	Between 7% – 23%
Preschool and Children Services Employees	Between 4% – 17%
Psychologists	Between 5.6% – 16.8%

School Assistants Levels 1 – 4 will also receive further 5% annual increases in both 2026 and 2027. The new School Assistants classifications include annual salary increments that provide an additional 0.5% to 1% salary increase. These adjustments ensure a fair transition, recognising the varying roles for PAOS.

Expanded coverage of MEA

The proposed MEA has expanded coverage compared to the existing MEA, ensuring more employees benefit from its improved conditions. The new MEA will include:

a new instructional services stream to cover sports coaches, sports assistants, music tutors (not including music or arts tutors engaged on an individual basis) and trainers
human resources managers and those employed in marketing services are part of the clerical and administrative stream.

The broader coverage means more employees will receive the protection and beneficial conditions contained in the MEA.

Modernised classification structures

Through extensive negotiations by the IEU, the proposed MEA introduces a modernised classification structure aligned with the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2020. This new structure establishes a common competency framework across all occupational groups, ensuring fairer pay alignment.

Key improvements include:

a dedicated classification stream for ICT Services
introduction of 12-monthly incremental salary steps for School Assistants for the first time
faster salary progression for most occupational groups, based on 12 months of service rather than full years, allowing quicker movement up the pay scale
new higher-level classifications for School Assistants in curriculum and resources roles within laboratories and libraries, recognising higher qualifications and experience.

Special Education allowance

The union has also ensured that teachers at a registered special school teaching classes of children with a disability will continue to receive the special education allowance – the MEA will have a list of schools to which this applies. New teachers employed will also receive the allowance, which will be increased throughout the life of the MEA.

Conditions – Paid Parental Leave

The union has achieved the following improvements in paid parental leave which will apply to leave commencing after the start of the new MEAs:

The 14 weeks of paid parental leave will count as service for the purposes of salary progression and leave accrual.
Male employees who are the initial primary care-giver immediately after birth or adoption will now be entitled to 14 weeks paid parental leave.
An employee who is not the initial primary care-giver will be entitled to two weeks of paid parental leave at the time of birth or adoption. If that person becomes the primary care-giver within 12 months of the birth or adoption, they are now entitled to an additional 12 weeks paid parental leave.

The AIS have dropped the proposed reduction in personal/carer’s leave for teachers (the removal of the 15 days on commencement) and the proposal that workload requirements during non-term time be specified in the MEA.

Click here to read about our recent win in the Fair Work Commission defending this right.

Understanding your new MEA

Professional and Operational Staff – Read more

Teachers – Read more

What happened to single interest bargaining?

Our campaign for single interest bargaining led to significant improvements in the offer made by the AIS in late December. A majority of teachers in a majority of schools had voted for our petition for single interest bargaining for the Teachers MEA. This placed enormous pressure on employers. The employers’ applications to force a vote on their sub-standard Teachers MEA and PAOS MEAs were set down for hearing before the Fair Work Commission on 19 December. Our application for single interest bargaining for the Teachers MEA was listed on the same day. Under the pressure of the looming court cases, the AIS made crucial concessions. There were no trade-offs by the union for these concessions. The IEU Executive authorised Officers to accept this vastly improved deal.

This significant outcome could not have been achieved without the dedication, commitment, and support of our members. But there is still more to do. We need to ensure that union members continue to build on this outcome. The stronger we are, the greater capacity we have to obtain competitive salary and condition outcomes.

We are stronger together.

Join the IEU

2024 UPDATES

Independent schools: Say YES to single interest bargaining

In May 2024, 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 had agreed to some of the union’s claims (such as improvements to paid parental leave), there were 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 had reached a stalemate.

Watch an update on the state of pay for teachers in ACT independent schools.
Read why the union has said no to the proposed CMEA

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 did not want to lock in a substandard deal for the next three years.

How can we achieve single interest bargaining?

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

As of December 2024, a majority of teachers in a majority of schools had voted for our petition for single interest bargaining for the Teachers MEA, allowing us to lodge an application in the Fair Work Commission. This application placed pressure on the AIS, forcing them to make crucial bargaining concessions, to the benefit of our members.

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: