The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 40 #2) March 2020 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845
Unions and employers respond to COVID-19
“Let’s put workers at the centre of the conversation” The World Health Organisation declared a global pandemic on Wednesday 11 March, as the coronavirus rapidly spreads across the world. It is increasingly apparent that efforts to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus have been so far limited, and that a vaccine remains some time away. With school closures and other social distancing measures likely to escalate in the coming weeks and months, members have rightly started to question how this public health crisis will be managed in their own workplaces. Because different workplaces have different conditions, there is unfortunately no single, definite answer to how employers will respond and how members will be impacted. The union has contacted and been in discussion with major NSW and ACT school employer organisations concerning entitlements of employees who are unable to attend work as a result of the coronavirus. IEUA Secretary Mark Northam has called for a fair and compassionate response from employers, saying “let’s put workers at the centre of the conversation.” Paid leave Employees may be impacted by workplace responses to COVID-19 in a number of ways. The union’s view is that employees should of course be entitled to personal/carer’s leave if they are themselves unwell or caring for a sick family member. However, in other cases where the employee is not unwell but is absent for selfisolation reasons, we are calling on employers to ensure the employee is not disadvantaged by providing the employee the option of working from home, where possible, or be provided with two weeks ex gratia leave. This is because it is in the public interest to delay the spread of the virus, and staff who may be unwell who remain away from work in the interest of students and staff should not be penalised. The union is calling for the provision of paid leave for a casual employee who is forced to decline previously scheduled work or that the casual employee be provided with paid leave on a case by case basis, reflecting the usual number of days worked per week. Already, the union has managed to secure for employees in Catholic systemic schools 10 days ex gratia paid leave for employees required to self-isolate due to a workplace shutdown, in
circumstances where it is not possible to continue work from home. At time of writing, similar commitments have begun being made by other employers, including EREA schools, Seventh Day Adventist schools, Christian schools, SDN, and KU Children’s Services. So far, the union has secured a commitment from Wollongong and Bathurst Dioceses to extend policy entitlements to both casual and salaried employees, including the provision of up to 10 days ex gratia paid leave to casual staff unable to attend scheduled work. This response has been well received by the union. “This considered and compassionate policy is a great response to a complex situation,” said Northam. The union is calling on all employers to follow the lead of the Wollongong Diocese, who lead the way in this generous approach, and publicly support their workers and extend employee entitlements to include casual staff. PD available online For members required to self-isolate, the union has hours of on demand online PD available as part of your membership. You can find the full range of programs at www.theieuzone.org.au . The union expects that employers will generally be sympathetic to our approach on behalf of members and will work collaboratively with employees and the union in the interest of public health and safety. Any employee requiring specific advice about their situation, or with any concerns, should immediately contact the union. The NSW Department of Education recommends that schools cancel: • school assemblies • excursions • international and domestic travel plans • some events, such as sports matches and performances • conferences and face to face PD engagements, and • stagger school lunchtimes in large schools. Given all the circumstances, the IEU believes this to be best practice and should be adopted by all schools. Mark Northam Secretary
Keep teachers and support staff at centre of COVID-19 discussions The IEUA NSW/ACT Branch is calling for immediate crisis talks with employers representing non government schools and early learning centres about the vexed issue of social distancing and other concerns in the face of COVID-19. “Teachers and support staff need to be at the very centre of this conversation,” said Secretary Mark Northam. “Any decisions made must be firmly grounded in education and health priorities, not economic concerns.” The union has been inundated with queries from anxious members about social distancing, leave entitlements, school assemblies, parent teacher nights, incursions and excursions, sporting events, performances, and hygiene in schools. The IEU represents teachers and support staff in Catholic systemic, independent and other non government schools, as well as early learning centres and post-secondary colleges throughout NSW and the ACT.
Safety first Work health and safety is a key issue in all schools and early learning centres, especially as teachers and support staff shoulder considerable responsibility for the health of not just students but also the wider community. IEU members are responsible for a wide demographic: children as young as six weeks in early childhood centres through to adults in their 20s in post-secondary colleges. The IEU has been representing members intensively since this crisis began unfolding and has successfully secured 10 days’ additional leave with some employers, and we are fighting to secure ongoing employment for casuals. We call on Catholic systemic school employers and other non government school employers to ensure safety in the workplace for teachers, support staff and students. This includes ensuring school staff have adequate resources needed to maintain hygiene. At all stages, the IEU must be part of the solution. The IEU believes alternative approaches to keeping pathways to education open are possible as long as the profession is at the heart of any decisions about changes to how schools are managed. Some independent schools are already implementing new approaches. Various options are currently being explored, and teacher input is critical in this process.
Clock ticking on Catholic systemic EA Putting the jigsaw together – members step up as we negotiate on two levels with 11 Catholic dioceses. Members are rightfully questioning the time it’s taking the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER) to reach an agreement regarding Catholic systemic schools.
The previous agreement expired on 31 December 2019 but remains in force. The missing elements are pay increases and improvements in conditions sought by members. The jigsaw becomes apparent when we unpack the nature of the agreement. CCER negotiates on behalf of the 11
dioceses in relation to the overarching Enterprise Agreement. Referenced to the EA but developed at a local diocesan level are Work Practice Agreements (WPA). These agreements capture more closely the fine detail associated with matters such as the number of meetings per term, class sizes, start and finish times,
arrangements for term four in secondary schools and sliding scales of support for large class sizes in primary schools. Some of these elements have been in play for decades. Critical among these are primary RFF provisions. Continued on page 4