ANGLICAN SCHOOLS - Queensland Enterprise Bargaining
Strategies for improving the working lives of teachers, school officers and services staff 31 March 2003 Without Prejudice
The Impact of Work Intensification QIEU members and staff in Anglican Schools have identified excessive workload and work intensification as the most significant contributors to individual and family stress as well as low morale in their schools. They seek control over their excessive workloads. The following strategies address the impact of work intensification and provide employees with more control over their working hours.
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HOURS OF DUTY Employees believe that long work hours and heavy workloads have a significant detrimental effect on employees’ quality of work, family life and health. Hours of duty arrangements and Award regulation are provided to ensure that there are sufficient constraints on the workload demands on employees to ensure that employees have a balanced working life. Such strategies will recognise: 1.1
Time for the planning, setting , delivery and evaluating learning outcomes within hours of duty;
1.2
Time for administrative tasks arising out of the implementation of curriculum within the hours of duty;
1.3
Time for the planning, setting, delivery and evaluation of specialist curriculum within hours of duty;
1.4
Specific arrangements for middle schooling and Vocational Education and Training;
1.5
All teaching staff shall be provided with 10 minutes per day of paid morning tea time
1.6
Time for uninterrupted rest pauses;
1.7
Where a teacher works more than four (4) hours per day, they will be entitled to a 40 minute unpaid meal break. During such time the employee shall not be required to attend meetings, supervise students or undertake any other activities;
1.8
Travel time to venues for school activities will be included in the quantum of time as a cocurricular duty;
1.9
During preparation and correction time (release time) the employee shall not be required to attend meetings or undertake any other duties;
1.10 Extra curricular duties remain honorary and voluntary (see Clause 5 of Schedule 5).
1.11 House meeting, assemblies and the like which requires the supervision of students shall be deemed to be contact time for teachers who have the responsibility to co-ordinate and conduct such times. For teachers who are required to attend such times, the time shall be deemed to be contact time, however such time does not count for the purpose of calculating preparation and correction time. 1.12 A teacher shall be provided, in advance on a semester by semester basis, with a statement detailing the calculation of their hours of duties including the requirement to be on duty for up to four (4) identified special events per year. 1.13 Any duties required by the school greater than the hours prescribed in the agreement shall be regarded as overtime and paid at the rate of time and a half for the first three hours and double time thereafter. The above strategies should form variations to the Enterprise Agreement.
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POSITIONS OF ADDED RESPONSIBILITY 2.1
Preamble The employees believe there is a need to address the changing roles of and increasing demands upon employees in positions of added responsibility (PAR) in Anglican schools.
2.2
Provisions Employees believe that the following matters be considered: 2.2.1 Allocate specific extra time rele ase for academic PAR where extra demands are placed
upon them. 2.2.2 Specify time-release and remuneration for various PAR pastoral positions. 2.2.3 Increase the minimum point allocation for secondary schools curricular positions for
all school sizes and particularly smaller schools i.e. schools with less than 300 students. 2.2.4 Increase the total PAR points allocated in pastoral and primary positions. 2.2.5 Increases minimum release time to ensure adequate time to perform the responsibility 2.2.6 Provide criteria for access to level 5 positions 2.2.7 In schools that employ more than 30 teachers, time release be provided for QIEU staff
representative for the purpose of dealing with school based industrial issues.
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CLASS SIZES 3.1
Optimum Class Sizes Employees believe that students are better able to achieve optimum educational outcomes in smaller classes. Over the life of the agreement the employees believe that the following strategies will work towards providing an optimum learning environment to reduce class sizes as detailed below.
3.2
Strategies 3.2.1 Review the existing staffing levels such that the ratio of students to teachers in
instructional settings will decrease is limited to exceptional needs. 3.2.2 Determine individual staff preferences, expertise and experience before the allocation
of classes. 3.2.3 Keep ongoing records of classes that are over the identified target limits. Future
allocation of class and duties will take into consideration any previous allocation of classes over the identified target limits. 3.2.4 Address duty of care and Workplace Health and Safety considerations. 3.2.5 Decrease class sizes below identified target levels for all practical classes such as
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3.2.6 Decrease class sizes below identified target levels for classes containing students with
disabilities, special needs, or behavioural problems. 3.2.7 Avoid teachers supervising combined classes which result from staff absences. 3.2.8 Identify increased ‘risk’ situations and jointly develop guidelines to address such risk,
ie camps, excursions, travel etc. Employees believe that the final decisions about class sizes shall be made at the school level taking account of the above strategies.
The Lack of Appreciation and Support for Staff QIEU members and staff in Anglican Schools have identified that it is essential that good staff are attracted to Anglican Schools, given relevant professional development and provided with meaningful and secure career paths. They have indicated that job insecurity has had a detrimental effect on staff morale and the overall well being of the school environment. They seek provisions which support and value their contribution to Anglican Schools. The following strategies support and value education as a profession and act to attract and retain professional staff in Anglican schools.
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SENIOR TEACHER 2 PROVISION Employees believe that the benefit of progressive career paths for teachers working in Queensland Anglican Schools beyond current Senior Teacher 1 provisions create an environment where quality teachers will seek to continue their classroom teaching.
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CAREER BREAK – SABBATICAL LEAVE Employees recognise the benefits of renewal and professional development in a profession which is demanding of practitioners. In an attempt to provide a career break to recharge batteries and/or undertake quality professional development, employees believe that all staff, upon completion of five years service, shall have an entitlement to unpaid leave of up to one calendar year.
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COMPLAINTS AGAINST EMPLOYEES Employees recognise that schools are a partnership between the employing authority, staff, students and parents and that occasionally the key stakeholder will have grievances with each other and make a complaint. In dealing with a complaint employees believe it is essential that concerns are addressed in an objective and sensitive manner which gives due consideration to the reputation and dignity of the persons concerned and that any staff member who is subject to a complaint must be afforded the fundamental principles of natural justice within a fair and transparent process.
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TEACHER CLASSIFICATION 7.1
Employees have raised the reality that teacher education processes and practice has changed in recent years especially in response to registration requirements of the Board of Teacher Registration. To recognise these changes employees believe that clause 5(3) of the Teachers Award Non-Governmental Schools should be amended as follows: 7.1.1 A teacher with an approved four year bachelor’s degree from a recognized university
that contains the equivalent of at least two years of professional studies in education shall be appointed at Band 2 Step 1. 7.1.2 A teacher who has an approved bachelor’s degree from a recognised university plus an
approved postgraduate teacher education degree of the equivalent of at least two years of professional studies in education shall commence on the salary prescribed for Band 2 Step 2. C:\Documents and Settings\lwise\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK158\log of claims 210303~2.doc
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7.1.3 A teacher who has an approved bachelor’s degree with either first or second class
honours from a recognised university which contains the equivalent of at least two years of professional studies in education shall be appointed at Band 2 Step 2. 7.1.4 Except as otherwise provided by the Teachers Award Non-Governmental Schools,
progression from one salary Step to a higher salary Step shall be by annual increment up to a maximum salary of Band 3.
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INDUCTION (CLAUSE 5.3) 8.1
Induction of all employees Employees note that Anglican Schools have Induction Programs but believe that the nature of teaching is undergoing fundamental change and, as such, the issue of induction should be revisited. Consistent with this, employees would like to see a contemporary induction programme implemented for all employees which will include as a minimum: 8.1.1 Provision of a duty statement; 8.1.2 Identification of lines of support, responsibility and accountability 8.1.3 Provision of materials relevant to the ethos and mission of the system / school; 8.1.4 Provision of documents relevant to the system / school administrative guidelines; 8.1.5 Provision of clear guidance in terms of curriculum expectation and implementation; 8.1.6 Provision of documentation and training consistent with workplace health and safety
requirements specific to the duties undertaken by the employee; 8.1.7 Provision of information relevant to union coverage and benefits; 8.1.8 Provision of information relevant to superannuation entitlements and options;
8.2
Graduate Teachers Employees recognise that induction is a significant phase in the continuum of teacher development and that effective induction takes place in a process of dialogue and professional collaboratio n which can be effectively managed by the following strategies: 8.2.1 Suitable trained mentors who want to work with graduate teachers. Time release
provided to skilled staff to provide collegial support within the framework of the schools published induction policy; 8.2.2 Reduced teaching load of 80% of the maximum contact time for graduates in
secondary schools in their first and second years of teaching and an additional two hours classroom release for graduates in primary schools in their first and second years of teaching; 8.2.3 Monitored total workload in terms of any voluntary contribution to extra curricular to
avoid such a commitment adversely affecting the graduate teacher’s classroom performance; 8.2.4 Clear guidance and feedback on the requirements of the Board of Teacher Registration
for full registration including regular reviews with their mentor and/or Academic Coordinator; 8.2.5 Assistance with the development of suitable teaching programs consistent with the
requirements of the school work program. 8.2.6 Relief from students with ascertained disabilities in the following terms:
(a) Teachers with less than two (2) years experience should not have students with ascertained disability (Level 5 or 6) placed in their class to allow the development of appropriate professional skills.
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(b) Where extraordinary circumstances (eg small school) require that a student with ascertained disability (Level 5 or 6) is placed in a class of a teacher with less than two years experience a full-time learning assistant shall be employed for that class.
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RESOURCING OF SCHOOL LEVEL INDUSTRIAL PRACTICE 9.1
Resourcing in the Workplace Employers often express the view that they would like to resolve emergent industrial matters at the school level. Employees believe that if this is to be an effective means of employee/employer dialogue adequate training should be provided to elected employees to adequately perform in this environment. As a first step Anglican schools should recognise that the unions party to this Certified Agreement and their accredited representatives are the legitimate representatives of employees covered by this Certified Agreement and shall encourage employees to join or maintain membership of the relevant unions bound by this Certified Agreement. Employees believe the following strategies will assist in this process: 9.1.1 adequate time during normal working hours for workplace union representatives to
carry out union responsibilities and this time shall be recognised in the employees’ designated hours of duty; 9.1.2 access for workplace union representatives to telephone, fax, photocopier, computer,
email and internet to carry out union responsibilities and shall not deny email/fax access to the unions party to this certified agreement for the forwarding of documents to employees; 9.1.3 reasonable time for workplace union representatives to consult with employees on
workplace matters and enterprise bargaining issues. 9.1.4 reasonable opportunity for workplace union representatives to provide union
information to new employees. 9.1.5 facility for employees to authorise the employing authority, in writing, to deduct and
forward from any remuneration payable, subscriptions to a relevant union bound by this Certified Agreement. 9.1.6 provision of leave without pay for periods with no loss of accruals of up to five days
for accredited representatives to undertake courses provided by the Queensland Independent Education Union.
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REDUNDANCY 10.1 Whilst redundancy is not common in Anglican Schools, employees believe Anglican employing authorities have a duty of care to their employees and, whilst seeking to maintain full employment for their staff, recognise the need for a policy to deal with the unlikely event of redundancy. Employees believe the following process and procedures should offer some recognition to employees, who might be made redundant, at a traumatic time in their career. Employees believe the Parties should develop guidelines by the end of 2004 to provide clear procedures should the possibility of redundancies arise. The guidelines will explore amongst other things, the option of possible employment in other Anglican Schools without loss of entitlements as well as payments which reflect the industry standard.
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PART TIME EMPLOYMENT – TEACHERS The employees are seeking clarity in relation to issues such as payment divisor, other duties, hours of duty need to be reviewed.
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PAY SLIP ADVICE 12.1 Employees note the disparity between Anglican schools and believe that basic information on the following should be provided to all Anglican employees: 12.1.1 Salary band and step or wage classification.
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12.1.2 Gross payment. 12.1.3 Tax paid. 12.1.4 Net payment. 12.1.5 Superannuation contributions. 12.1.6 Number of sick days accrued. 12.1.7 Long Service Leave accrued. 12.1.8 Other deductions (if relevant)
Further employees are prepared to accept that, where the current software used by the employing authority cannot be modified to provide such information it will be provided to staff at least twice a year, at the end of each semester, until such time as the software program is able to provide such information on an ongoing basis.
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ADMINISTRATIVE GUIDELINES (see 5.29) 13.1 Employees believe there is an urgent need to develop guidelines of the following matters: 13.1.1 Diminished performance process 13.1.2 Behavioural management 13.1.3 Proportional pay calculations for teachers who do not complete a full academic year of
teaching Employees believe the guidelines should be developed jointly by the Parties in consultation with staff, legal consultants and industrial advocates. Once developed the guidelines will be referenced in the Enterprise Agreement. 13.2 Employees believe that administrative guide line documents developed during the life of the current agreement should be finalised and form attachments to this agreement.
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SCHOOL OFFICER ISSUES (See 5.28) 14.1 Whilst school officer employees believe that clause 5.28 of the current agreement remains relevant, they have identified the following additional issues for discussion at the SBU: 14.1.1 The need for current and accurate position descriptions. 14.1.2 Access to professional development and training to enhance skills. 14.1.3 Being valued as part of the educational team. 14.1.4 Annual increments within a level 14.1.5 The need for an additional level to recognise the qualifications, knowledge and skills
requires for certain positions. 14.1.6 Limiting the use of level one to that of an entry/training level. 14.1.7 The development of a replacement register of School Officers, with specific skills, in
school to be used to replace School Officers who may be absent. 14.1.8 Create flexibility in the hours of work 14.1.9 The introduction of a nine day fortnight for those who request it.
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SALARY INCOME PROTECTION 15.1 Employees note that some schools currently provide income protection for their staff whilst others are working towards doing so. 15.2 Employees believe that the provision of Salary Income Protection is an essential characteristic of a caring school. In schools where the Employing Authority is not making any contribution to such schemes for their employees it is requested that they give serious consideration to making a contribution during the life of the Agreement.
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15.3 Further that, in the event of a default fund being established, it have a generous and cost effective salary protection scheme.
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WORKPLACE HEALTH AND SAFETY REPRESENTATIVES 16.1 Employees believe that a workplace health and staff representative, elected by staff, should attend a prescribed training course, including a refresher course, and to have all reasonable costs of the representative’s attendance of the course reimbursed, including course fees and the representative’s usual remuneration.
Pressures Upon Family Life QIEU members and staff in Anglican Schools have indicated that there is a growing inability to balance successfully work and family responsibilities. They seek provisions which will enable them to balance their work and family responsibilities. The following strategies provide a greater balance between work and family responsibilities.
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IMPACT OF FAMILY RESPONSIBILITY 17.1 Preamble Employees recognise a need for adequate family friendly provisions to facilitate an effective balance between family and work responsibilities. A number of factors impact negatively on employee’s family responsibilities including long and inflexible working hours, separation from infants, and the financial imperative to continue working while child rearing or otherwise acting as a care-giver. Consequently employees believe the employing authority should commit to assisting employees in balancing their work life with the demands of initiating a family, child rearing and meeting other carer and domestic demands by implementing the following provisions and varying the relevant schedules where necessary, to reflect such changes. 17.1.1 Paid Maternity Leave
Employees believe all continuing employees who have completed one year of service shall be entitled to twelve (12) weeks Paid Maternity Leave (PML) on full pay exclusive of periods of school vacations and public holidays. Where requested, and with the agreement of the employer, employees believe they should be able to access equivalent Paid Maternity Leave over twenty-four (24) weeks at half pay, exclusive of school vacation periods and public holidays, and with the entire twenty-four (24) weeks counted as full time service for the purposes of calculating all service related entitlements. Employees further believe that eligible employees who fall pregnant whilst on maternity leave shall be entitled to a second or subsequent period of paid maternity leave. 17.1.2 Unpaid Maternity/Adoption Leave
Employees believe an employee should be entitled to and may seek unpaid leave for a period of up to two years for purposes of caring for newly born/adopted infant/s. Such leave would not extend beyond the child’s second birthday. An employee would be entitled to return to the position which she/he held immediately before proceeding on such leave.
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17.1.3 Part-Time Work
Employees believe that upon completion of maternity/paternity/adoption leave an employee should be entitled to access continuing part-time work and/or job share arrangements for a period of up to a maximum of five years after which they shall be entitled to return to the position they held before taking maternity/paternity/adoption leave. Employees also wish to raise the issue of extended part time employment where an employee can demonstrate pressing or domestic necessity or in other circumstances such as moving out the workforce to retirement.
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JOB SHARE (CLAUSE 5.25.3) 18.1 Employees believe that job share provisions can assist employees in balancing work and family demands throughout various stages of their life and work cycle and as such job share can have advantages for employees and employing authoritie s. 18.2 Employees believe the current job share provisions should be reviewed to recognise contemporary family/work relationships.
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SICK LEAVE 19.1 Employees note that the current sick leave provision is inconsistent with industry standards and seeks to review this entitlement.
Inadequate Remuneration QIEU members and staff in Anglican Schools have stated that negotiated wage outcome must take into consideration the need to attract and retain staff of high quality, to give commensurate increases to school officers and services staff and to ensure a catch up with and at least parity with state sector colleagues. For lower paid workers a minimum dollar increase is essential to protect them from the widening gap in earnings caused by percentage increases. The current inequities in superannuation provisions must be rectified in this round of enterprise bargaining. Employees seek adequate remuneration and conditions. The following issues should be addressed to resolve the impact of inequitable remuneration to ensure that at least equivalent dollar outcomes is achieved over a six year period (2001-2006) with state sector colleagues and other non-government schools that compete with Anglican Schools.
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WAGES CLAUSE 20.1 Wage Increases Employees covered by this Agreement shall receive wage increases as follows: 20.1.1 Any wage and/or classification review outcomes must include an increase from 1
January each year which would reduce the significant wage disparity between Anglican employees and the other employees in both State and Non-Government schools that compete with Anglican Schools. 20.1.2 School Officers
School officers shall receive a wage increase of the same percentage as that which applies to a Band 3 Step 4 teacher provided that clause 20.1.4 (below) applies. 20.1.3 Services Staff
Services staff employees shall receive a wage increase of the same percentage as that which applies to a Band 3 Step 4 teacher provided that clause 20.1.4 (below) applies. C:\Documents and Settings\lwise\Local Settings\Temporary Internet Files\OLK158\log of claims 210303~2.doc
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20.1.4 Lower Paid Employees
Employees whose wages are below the rate applicable to school officer Level 3 Step 1 will receive a flat dollar wage increase equivalent to the wage increase which an employee at school officer Level 3 Step 1 receives when the percentage increase at 20.1.2 has been determined or $24.00 per week, whichever is the greater. The flat dollar increase will be for the first wage increase only of this agreement. 20.1.5 Allowances
Employees who are entitled to an allowance payment shall receive an increase on that allowance payment of the same percentage as that which applies to a Band 3 Step 4 teacher. 20.1.6 Casual Loading
The casual loading be increased to 23% 20.2 Payment of Wages 20.2.1 Employees believe that payment of deductio ns authorised by an employee to other
organisations shall be made on the same date as the wage/salary payment. 20.2.2 All employer superannuation contributions shall be paid to the employee’s nominated
superannuation fund on no less than a monthly basis. 20.2.3 An employee’s voluntary deductions to superannuation either pre tax or post tax shall
be paid to the employee’s nominated superannuation fund on the same date as the wage/salary payment.
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SUPERANNUATION 21.1 Contribution Currently employees in Anglican Schools in Queensland have access to a statutory employer contribution of 9%and a further employer contribution of 0.75% where the employee makes a voluntary contribution of 1.5% as provided for in Clause 6.5 of the EBA. Employees believe that employer superannuation contributions on behalf of employees should be increased subject to an employee making a voluntary superannuation contribution as follows: Employee Contribution 1.5% 3.00% 5.00%
Employer Contribution 10.75% 11.75% 12.75%
Employees further believe that an employee’s voluntary superannuation contribution component may be before tax or in accordance with the current provisions pertaining to Salary Packaging arrangements. The parties agree that the following superannuation contribution schedule will be implemented as from the 1 January 2004.
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CHOICE OF FUND 22.1 The employees believe that should federal legislation establish provision for the choice of superannuation fund for the payment of statutory (or other) employer superannuation contributions then the default fund shall be the Queensland Independent Education and Care Superannuation Trust. The employees believe that the employing authority should include in any induction material provided to new employees a prospectus for the Queensland Independent Education and Care Superannuation Trust.
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LONG SERVICE LEAVE 23.1 Employees believe that long service provisions should be reviewed and amended, as appropriate. Employees have identified the following strategies to assist the review: 23.1.1 Employees who have seven (7) years of continuous services may from 1/1/2004
access that entitlement to Long Service Leave which has accumulated on the relevant rate. 23.1.2 Any period of LSL taken by an employee is exclusive of any public holidays, annual
leave or vacation periods (as the case may be) which may fall during the period of LSL. 23.1.3 Access to pro rata entitlement to Long Service Leave (See Clause 5.19) be available
on completion of seven (7) years of recognised service.
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