Settlement close in the ACT

Carol Matthews

Secretary

The IEU has been negotiating in recent months with Catholic Education Archdiocese of Canberra & Goulburn (CE) concerning rates of pay for teachers employed in ACT Catholic systemic schools.

This follows the making of a new enterprise agreement between the Australian Education Union (AEU) and the ACT Government, applying to teachers in ACT government schools.

What has been agreed for ACT teachers in government schools?

In 2023, ACT Government teachers will receive an increase in salary of $1,750 back-dated to January 2023, an increase of 1% back-dated to June and a further pay rise of $1,750 in December. In addition,

ACT teachers in public schools will receive a one-off payment of $1,250. By December 2023, the top step will be $119, 288, compared to the rate prior to the enterprise agreement (EA) of $114,624. From January 2024, a new shorter pay scale will be introduced which provides higher increases at particular steps, including a new graduate rate and a new top step. By the end of the EA in March 2026, the top incremental step will be $129,107 and the new graduate rate will be $91,937. This reflects an increase of 13% at the top step and nearly 20% on the starting rate over the life of the EA.

Negotiations with CE IEU has been negotiating with CE to implement the same pay rises for teachers in ACT Catholic systemic schools. The existing ACT pay scale in the Catholic Systemic Schools EA is based on the model in NSW Catholic and government schools. The Catholic systemic scale is shorter (so progression is quicker) than the current ACT Government pay scale and movement up the scale depends on a teacher’s TQI registration status as well as years of service.

The parties have been discussing how to translate the new pay rates into the Catholic pay scale.

CE has been reluctant to pay the many small increases that will be paid by the ACT Government and would prefer to pay larger increases in August each year. For example, under the proposed CE model, the increases in 2023 will apply from the first pay period from 1 August 2023. New rates from August 2023 will include:

$84,978 - new Graduate $119,288 - top Proficient step.

IEU has calculated the amount received by a teacher in a Catholic school on each step in 2023 compared to the amount received by a teacher in an ACT Government school, including the one-off payment of $1,250 and the back pay to January 2023 which is part of the Government deal. The IEU has some concerns about the 2023 rates for particular classifications, including backpay in 2023 for teachers on the top step of the teacher scale. We are continuing to meet CE to try to resolve these issues. A meeting is scheduled for 14 August.

Discussions will continue. A possible NSW public sector settlement will also be relevant to the structure of the teacher pay scale.