Vol. 10 No. 1
In this edition
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Collective agreements become industry standard
Benefits of union membership in business colleges
Celebrate Labour Day 2011
Building Chapter strength
College officers and support staff
Upcoming ELICOS training
Member Profile
Q
April 2011
i I B Z
The newsletter for ELICOS, International College and Business College sector
Collective Agreements Become Industry Standard Members in the ELICOS sector have been campaigning for a number of years to lift wages and conditions in the sector above the minimum Award rates. Whilst this has been a long and sometimes difficult process, Collective Agreements with above-Award conditions are now becoming the industry standard. If your employer is still relying on the Government-set minimum conditions, contact your ELICOS organiser for more information on getting the process started.
NUDGEE COLLEGE - highest wages
NAVITAS - new collective agreement
Members at Nudgee International Colleges have secured the highest ELICOS wages in Queensland with the approval of their Collective Agreement earlier this year.
Members at NAVITAS have begun preparations for their second Collective Agreement.
The agreement, which covers both teachers and college officers, provides for a 13% wage and allowance increase over three years. Provisions negotiated also include a Senior Teacher allowance, a commitment to professional development as well as earlier access to long service leave and enhanced superannuation provisions. Members at the College are currently monitoring the implementation of the new Agreement.
BROWNS - GOLD COAST - log of claims
NAVITAS was the first college in Queensland to have an Agreement which was negotiated under their previous name of Australian College of English in 2009. Members at the college have been surveyed to determine the enhancements they would like to see in their new Collective Agreement and their Log of Claims is currently being developed. NAVITAS members are seeking: • • •
The negotiations for this Agreement will commence shortly.
Members at Browns on the Gold Coast have recently developed a Log of Claims so that they can start the process for a Collective Agreement at their college. When this process began there was only one member at the college. This member spoke to several other people about how they were dissatisfied with their conditions. From there, that non-member spoke to another person and so on. While many people were dissatisfied with their conditions, they didn’t feel comfortable standing up in front of everyone to speak about this. These one-on-one conversations resulted in a meeting of those concerned and a collective resolve to address their concerns through bargaining emerged. At this meeting, staff sought advice on how their union could help them to make positive changes at the college. Staff have since completed a survey to determine issues they would like to address in their first round of Collective Bargaining.
Improved wages Paid marking and preparation time and Improvements to their paid parental leave
EMBASSY - first meeting Members at Embassy Brisbane and Gold Coast have had their first meeting with management to negotiate new wages and conditions in their college. Members at the negotiation table commented that the meeting was positive. At this meeting, members at the college outlined their claim for their new agreement. Some of the improvements members outlined in their Log of Claims which they hope to achieve in their new agreement are: • • •
Pay parity with their interstate colleagues; A clear transitional process for casual staff members into permanent positions; and The development of a Consultative Committee.
Members at Embassy look forward to continued positive discussions with management and await their response to the Log of Claims at the next meeting.
If you would like to arrange to meet your organiser offsite to discuss your wages and conditions, feel free to contact your union on (07) 3839 7020 or email elicos@qieu.asn.au
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BUSINESS COLLEGES: Staff starting to see the benefits of union membership Business Colleges and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) in Queensland teach a variety of courses to both domestic and international students that will help them achieve employment in the future. The sector encompasses a broad range of subjects – everything from hairdressing to natural medicine to mechanical courses. While conditions in this industry have been previously unregulated, as of 1 January 2010 these colleges are now covered by the Educational Services (Post Secondary) Award 2010. As more colleges in the industry start to negotiate collective agreements, it is clear the Award wages and conditions outlined are falling well below industry standard.
Staff in business colleges across Queensland are becoming members of our union so they can start the process of collective bargaining in their workplaces. If you work in a Business College and would like speak to someone about your wages or conditions, feel free to contact your union on (07) 3839 7020 or email elicos@qieu.asn.au
These colleges are generally small independently operated businesses and often only have a few staff members. Regardless of the number of employees at your worksite there is still a legal basis for working together to negotiate an Agreement. These negotiations can lead to improvements or regulations surrounding your: • • • • •
Wages; Hours of Duty; The use of fixed term contracts; Classification structures; and Paid Parental Leave.
CELEBRATE LABOUR DAY 2011- MONDAY MAY 2 Labour Day, Monday, May 2 2011 is a time to unite and celebrate the achievements workers and unions have accomplished to ensure better working conditions in Queensland. As an IEUA-QNT member working in the ELICOS sector, you can show your support for past and present colleagues who have strived to gain better wages and working conditions for education professionals, by marching and joining in celebrations on the day. Members working in the ELICOS sector have a strong history of marching together each Labour Day. IEUA-QNT organiser Nick Holliday encourages members to come along this year. “Labour Day is an opportunity to not only celebrate the achievements of what educational professionals have achieved in the past through collective action but also an opportunity to make a statement about our aspirations for the future.” “With collective agreements now becoming an industry standard in the ELICOS sector, it is a time also to celebrate recent collective successes.” The IEUA-QNT will be involved in many of the marches and celebrations and ELICOS members can find further details on the IEUA-QNT website at www.qieu.asn.au/labourday2011 Page 2
Why Labour Day is important for ELICOS Alison McMillan (pictured below right) is a teacher at the Australian Language School in Brisbane. As a strong advocate for the future viability of ELICOS colleges, Alison attends the Labour Day march each year to make sure her colleagues and sector are represented. This year, Alison encourages all ELICOS members to invite their colleagues and friends and march along-side our union on Labour Day. “I think it’s really important to march on Labour Day to remind ourselves of why unions are so important,” Alison said. “Without the actions of unions in the past, we would not have the working conditions that we have today.” Alison believes the ELICOS education sector is grossly undervalued. “I feel it is important for ELICOS members to be represented on Labour Day as they actually work for one of our most important ‘export’ industries: the education of overseas students.” Alison encourages ELICOS members to help raise the profile of their sector by attending the Labour Day marches and Family Fun Days across Queensland this year. “I am looking forward to marching again this year,” Alison said.
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BUILDING CHAPTER STRENGTH Members in the ELICOS sector understand the importance of acting collectively to solve issues in their workplace. One of the key ways of building strength in your chapter is to organise a Chapter Executive. This is a group of members who undertake specific roles within the workplace, to be an information resource, a link with our union office and most importantly, to assist in building the collective strength of the membership. Most ELICOS Colleges now have a core group of members who assist in organising activities, getting feedback around collective bargaining, assist other members with enquiries or represent them on Consultative Committees. Many workplaces recognise the importance of supporting the people undertaking these roles by putting in place a set of Chapter positions that spread the workload.
Chapter Representative
Collective Bargaining Coordinator
This role in the Chapter Executive is necessary in the lead-up to and during negotiations. The Collective Bargaining Coordinator assists in the identification of issues for negotiation during the survey process, and assisting with negotiations, ballots and the like. If your workplace is small, you may not need a full Chapter Executive to get all of these tasks done. However, the more people that are involved in these tasks, the less burden there is on individuals. It’s also important to tailor these positions to the needs of the members in your college. Our union office provides considerable support and training for Chapter Executive members – don’t think of it as a massive job you will need to undertake! If you are interested in nominating for a Chapter Executive position or building member strength at your school, please contact your ELICOS organiser on (07) 3839 7020.
The Chapter Representative is the person who co-ordinates Chapter activities and is the main point of contact for staff with enquiries. The Chapter Representative is also responsible for assisting your Organiser with arranging College meetings and break-time visits. The Chapter Representative may also assist with representing members around minor workplace issues.
Membership Coordinator
Membership Coordinator is a critical Chapter role. This person is responsible for talking to new starters about the importance of union membership, as well as completing staff returns to ensure that our records are kept up to date.
Network Coordinator
The Network Coordinator assists communication within the chapter by distributing briefings and information and being a central point of contact for various groups of staff (i.e. school officers, part time staff, people on different shifts).
Member Benefits for College Officers and Support Staff College officers and support staff play an important role in ELICOS colleges, undertaking a wide variety of roles including reception and administration, admissions and marketing. Many college officer staff in ELICOS colleges are not aware that the new Modern Award now covers them. Before 2010, there was no Award covering school officer staff in ELICOS, Business and International Colleges. With the creation of the new Award system, these categories of employees are now specifically catered for in the Educational Services (Post Secondary Education) Award 2010. The Award sets out a range of minimum conditions, including: •
Wage rates (including overtime rates);
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Classification structures;
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Hours of duty; and
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Allowances.
In addition to Award provisions, some college officer staff in ELICOS colleges have joined with teaching staff and negotiated Collective Agreements providing enhanced wages and conditions. College officer staff are entitled to join our union to receive assistance and advice regarding their working rights and conditions.
ELICOS and Business Colleges Training Seminar Would you like to find out how to approach non-members at your college? Would you like to learn how to help change your workplace? Would you like to meet and share ideas with other activists in the industry?
Then come along to our next training seminar!
Training is a great chance to meet with members from other colleges and hear about how they have successfully campaigned for collective agreements. It is also a fantastic way to get involved and learn about improving your workplace. Come along to our next afternoon session to gain an understanding of the process behind collective bargaining, to find out how to approach your colleagues about getting involved with your union and to generally be able to have your questions answered about your rights and conditions. The next session will be held at 4.30pm on Wednesday, 11 May 2011 at the QIEU office at 346 Turbot Street, Spring Hill, Brisbane.
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Member Profile
involved in a cultural exchange that will have positive and, in some cases dramatic changes to their life and worldview. What are the challenges you face? Challenges that are faced can change depending on the class you have and the student body in that class. However, I see that as a challenge and a way to help improve yourself professionally. How has your union helped you and your colleagues to achieve better wages and conditions in your workplace? We are still working towards this goal and no doubt we will be successful in this regard. What advice would you give to beginning teachers in the ELICOS sector? Prepare well and enjoy the time you have with the students.
Aaron Watson Embassy Brisbane
How long have you worked in the ELICOS Sector and at Embassy? I have been involved with the ELICOS sector in Australia since 2006 and I had worked overseas teaching ESL for four years before that. I have been with Embassy since about 2008. How long have you been a member of our union and why did you decide to join? I’ve been an active member since last year. I decided to join our union because I really wanted to be part of an organisation that has been working hard for change and to address inequalities and injustices in our ELICOS sector. What have you seen achieved in your workplace by members collectively coming together? A greater awareness of the needs and issues facing our school and industry. Embassy staff are currently bargaining, what do you hope to achieve? We hope that we will be able to have an agreement that will fulfil the needs of the staff, students and management. We also hope that we will be able to achieve building a better school not just for staff but also for the students. It will really be a win win situation for all. You are also the SBU Representative in these negotiations. How did you become involved and what have you learnt so far by going through the bargaining process? I’ve become involved in the SBU when I put my hand forward along with my good colleague Pauline Elphinstone. So far I have learnt that communication between staff, union members and the SBU is vital. It is an honour to be able to represent my fellow co-workers. Why is the professional recognition of ELICOS teachers so important? It really helps the profession to receive more support from those who are also involved in education, while at the same time make it a stronger and more dynamic profession. What do ELICOS teachers need to do to achieve enhanced wages and conditions in the sector? They really need to join the union and form a chapter. As part of that they also need to educate others who are not involved in ELICOS. What do you most enjoy about being an ELICOS teacher? The students! It is great to see them learn and to develop while they are studying in Australia and knowing that they and myself are
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What would you say to a colleague who is not a member of our union? Being part of our union is not only being part of a group of workmates in our school but also across the nation who are all working towards building a better system for independent schools.
Need Your Questions Answered? Do you have queries or concerns? Do you need answers to questions about your workplace or conditions? Please contact IEUA-QNT and speak to a Member Services Officer or your organiser on
FREECALL: 1800 177 938
Join Your Union Today To join IEUA-QNT, download a membership form from our website www.qieu.asn.au/join or call our membership department on FREECALL 1800 177 938 ISSN 1446-8964 QBiZ was prepared by Nick Holliday, Caryl Davies and Belinda Hogan-Collis Editor: Mr Terry Burke, Secretary IEUA-QNT 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 : 74 662 601 045