Vol. 4 No. 1 May 2012
In this edition
The newsletter for School Officers
School Officer Professional Issues Highlighted on Labour Day 2012
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Labour Day 2012: the Significance for School Officers
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Collective Bargaining Updates
Get Involved in WH&S
Applying for Reclassification
Member Profile, Juanita Quetcher
Members joined together to march under the IEUA-QNT banner during annual Labour Day events held 7 May.
a particular focus for our union in campaigning during these events.
The issues facing our school officer members, including professional recognition and fair working conditions, were
Our union participated in Labour Day events held in Brisbane (pictured), Darwin, Alice Springs, Gold Coast, Sunshine Coast, Ipswich, Bundaberg, Townsville, Toowoomba, Barcaldine and Cairns. The Brisbane march was particularly well attended with more than 20,000 union members in total taking part in the event. Labour Day is an opportunity to celebrate the past achievements of working people through their union membership and focus on our future aspirations as a union collective. IEUA-QNT Secretary Terry Burke said the occasion also demonstrated the on-going strength and relevance of union membership. “Union members continue to be the defining voice of working people in our country.” “This year’s Labour Day events made clear that our members are prepared to continue protecting their wages and conditions.” ■■ Visit www.qieu.asn.au to view more photographs and updates from Labour Day events across Queensland and the Northern Territory.
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Collective Bargaining Updates Anglican Sector
descriptions, and the introduction of a first aid allowance for school officers who hold a current certificate.
Employees in the Anglican sector recently agreed to a one year collective agreement that included a 4 per cent wage increase from 1 January, 2012.
Catholic Sector
This shorter term agreement was made with the understanding that negotiations will resume later this year around the remaining provisions outlined in the employee log of claims. Many of these provisions intend to protect and enhance the working conditions of Anglican sector school officers. The log of claims to be revisited later this year seeks an increase in paid maternity leave from 12 to 14 weeks to match the entitlement received in most other major sectors. Employees will also seek the inclusion of a clause in the next agreement that ensures all staff have an agreed role description reviewed on an annual basis.
Lutheran Sector Lutheran sector employees also recently agreed to a one year agreement that included a wage increase of 4 per cent (or $34 per week, which ever is the greater).
Negotiations for a replacement collective agreement are on-going in the Catholic sector. Single Bargaining Unit (SBU) employee representatives have met with employer representatives on a number of occasions and have made some progress on issues outlined in their log of claims. Representatives are nearing agreement on enhanced paid parental leave provisions that would allow staff to access the leave at half pay for double the time. Representatives are also close to securing a number of provisions particularly for school officers, including: ■■ a clause that would allow school officers to be advised of their hours in a timely way before seeking to annualise their wage ■■ the cost of undertaking first aid training (that includes CPR) to be reimbursed by the employer for First Aid Officers and Special Care Allowance recipients ■■ the specialised care allowance to be paid in full and no longer paid pro rata for part time school officers ■■ casual leave loading for school officers to increase from 23 per cent to 25 per cent over the course of the agreement
Employees in the Lutheran sector will resume negotiations with the employer later this year to resolve the remaining provisions sought in their log of claims.
Employee representatives are also seeking a clause in the new agreement that implements annual reviews of position descriptions.
Key claims for school officer members include enhancement to family-friendly and leave provisions, an annual review of position
■■ Visit www.qieu.asn.au/collectivebargaining to view further negotiation updates and access chapter briefings.
SBU representatives with meet again in the coming weeks.
Why School Officers Should Get Involved in Workplace Health and Safety School officers perform important and diverse work in our schools and this work often involves tasks that have higher associated risks.
IEUA-QNT Industrial Officer Danielle Wilson said the changes to provisions had the potential to impact on workers’ health and safety.
It is essential that school officers are aware of, and play a role in, workplace health and safety (WH&S) practices in their schools.
“School officers who often deal with more workplace health and safety issues than other school employees need to be aware of the changes and make sure guidelines for staff to follow are in place,” Ms Wilson said.
Examples of tasks performed by school officers that have increased safety risks include: ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■ ■■
the safety and maintenance of equipment for example in manual arts, home economics, film and television, visual arts and science subjects classrooms; the administration of first aid; the handling of hazardous substances; the supervision of students; behavior management of students; workplace stress which includes bullying and harassment and work intensification issues; boarding house requirements; and the use and maintenance of large mechanical equipment.
In light of the new Work Health and Safety Act which relaxes employer obligations, school officers should take an interest in WH&S.
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Consider joining your school’s Workplace Health and Safety Committee; it is essential that school officers are represented in this forum and their concerns are addressed. Visit www.qieu.asn. au to find out more about WH&S or contact our union on 1800 177 938.
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Recognise, Reclassify, Reward The Recognise, Reclassify, Reward campaign supports our school officer members in securing wages and conditions that adequately reflect the important work they perform. School officer positions often intensify, which means that many employees are working under an outdated position description and, consequently, an incorrect classification and wage level. Our union established the Recognise, Reclassify and Reward campaign in 2011 as part of an ongoing endeavour to ensure school officers are recognised for the level of skill, responsibility and qualification that they bring to their positions.
“For many years I had been at the top of my levels with nowhere else to go. I had tried to become a level 5 when levels were first introduced, but was told level 4, at that time, was as far as I could go without more training or responsibilities,” she said. “After speaking with my organiser, she informed me that my many years of service combined with the fact that my responsibilities and the management of a diverse range of finance duties could allow me to now apply for level 5. I was successful in my application at the end of 2011 and am now classified Level 5 Step 1. I probably would not have that classification if it wasn’t for union visits to the school keeping us informed.” Kerri Wease (below) is an IEUA-QNT member and school officer at St John Bosco School. Kerri works as a Library Officer, IT Officer and as Prep Aide at the Collinsville primary school. Kerri said she felt deserving of a higher classification level as working in these roles involves no supervision and she now has additional responsibilities such as training staff on new IT programs. “Our union rep gave us the paper work and explained how (applying for reclassification) worked. I also had contact with her in getting her to proof read what I was planning to submit. She was very valuable as she picked up on some critical errors I had missed that may have affected the outcome,” she said. “For all of my positions I initially started out on Level 2. I applied for Level 5 straight up for IT and got it without any problems. I applied for Level 4 for library and got Level 3. I wasn’t happy with this and decided to undertake some further study and reapply a few years later for Level 5, which I also got without any problems. “As yet I haven’t applied for any higher levels for Prep Aide, however with the added responsibility for testing students and taking responsibility for instructing students that continually gets added to our role I will probably apply in the near future.” School officers are integral to the operation of all schools. It is also unquestionable that many school officer roles expand over time.
School officers from the various sectors in both Queensland and Northern Territory have been given the opportunity to review and revise their position descriptions as a first step in asking their employer the question, “Are you recognising the contribution I make as a school officer?”
Position descriptions must recognise the diverse and skilled work of school officers, provide greater clarity around the duties and responsibilities for school officers and most importantly recognise and reward the diverse range of skills and knowledge that school officers bring to their positions.
Throughout the campaign school officers have undertaken training sessions to further develop and update their position descriptions and, along with support from their colleagues, have taken part in various chapter activities such as ‘Sign up Stand Up’ day and formally lodged requests of reclassification with their employers during School Officer Action week.
Our union is committed to ensuring that all school officer members are classified correctly.
Many school officer members were correctly classified after being educated and trained about the importance of having a contemporary and accurate position description and submitting a revised position description to their employer. IEUA-QNT member and Finance Secretary at Queen of Apostles School Deslee Till (above) was reclassified from Level 4 Step 3 to Level 5 Step 1 after reviewing her position description and undertaking training.
If you believe you may be inadequately classified in your role, talk to your Organiser about the reclassification process. Further information can also be found on our website at www.qieu.asn. au/schoolofficers.
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eXions conneXions conneXions conneXions conneXions conneXions conneXions conne Do you think it is important for school officers to get involved at a chapter level?
Yes, although it’s very much a personal decision. We all benefit from the work our union does, so we all should support our union. You’ve recently been reclassified. How important is it for School Officers to make sure they are classified correctly? Very important. During recent years school officer positions have changed dramatically both in the administration areas as well as in the classroom. There are different expectations, so it is important to be recognised for the work you are actually doing. What kind of difference has your successful reclassification made for you? Going through the reclassification process was a long one, but I have been rewarded with a classification I feel is more appropriate given what is now expected in my role as well as now having an up-to-date position description.
Juanita Quetcher
Finance Secretary, Our Lady of the Angels’ School
How long have you been a school officer? I have been a school officer since 2004. I completed a Certificate IV in Teacher Aide Studies in 2003 and Diploma in Education Support 2006. The position came about ‘by accident’ at my children’s primary school. It enabled me to return to the workforce with the flexibility of part time school hours and school holidays, which was very important to me having young children. I worked as a Special Needs aide with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) children until 2007 when I was fortunate enough to receive some hours in accounts payable and then Finance Secretary in 2009 when the previous Finance Secretary moved on. What’s your educational background? I am a graduate of University of New England Bachelor of Financial Administration program. After University, I joined the National Australia Bank’s graduate accelerated development program and worked with them in customer service and lending roles for ten years until we started our family. Have you always been an active union member? Yes. I was also a member of the Finance Union for ten years prior to becoming a school officer. It is important to support our union to achieve better working conditions and defend our rights. Union membership has many benefits such as union shopper and advisory facilities in investment, taxation and salary packaging.
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What advice would you give a school officer who is thinking about trying to get reclassified? If someone felt they were expected to do more than their current level, they should complete a detailed role description and then, if warranted, definitely apply for reclassification. If you had a colleague who was not a member of our union, what advice would you give them? My advice to anyone who is not a member is to join. The benefits are many and varied. What are your plans for the future? I plan to continue working in a position I enjoy at least until my children have finished school, and maybe even longer after that.
ISSN 1446-8964 conneXions was prepared by Elise Cuthbertson Editor: Mr Terry Burke, General Secretary QIEU PO BOX 418, FORTITUDE VALLEY QLD 4006 PH: (07) 3839 7020 FX: (07) 3839 7021 Email: enquiries@qieu.asn.au Website: www.qieu.asn.au ABN: 45 620 218 172