Newsmonth #8 December 2020

The newspaper of the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch (vol 40 #8) December 2020 PP 100000871 ISSN No: 0728-4845

Independent schools bargaining Carol Matthews Deputy Secretary

As members would be aware, the union has been bargaining for new multi-enterprise agreements (MEAs) for teachers and support staff employed in approximately 200 NSW and ACT independent schools.

Existing independent schools MEAs will expire at the beginning of 2021 and the Association of Independent Schools (AIS) commenced bargaining for new MEAs in late 2019.

Following a six-month pause in the bargaining process, the AIS has finally agreed to re-commence negotiations with the union. Meetings were held on 5 November and 24 November.

The 2021 percentage pay rise But the AIS is still refusing to centrally negotiate pay rises for 2021!

Some schools have stated to staff that they are awaiting the outcome of negotiations between the union and the AIS before determining the pay rise from February. AIS has reiterated to the union that this will not happen – union members need to approach their own school to find

out about the intended pay rise.

The union is aware of nearly 90 schools that have advised staff of pay rises for 2021.

In the majority of these schools, the 2021 pay rise is 2.5%, in one or two instalments.

If your school has not yet made its position clear, or if the offer is less than 2%, please contact your union organiser to discuss the next steps.

Continued page 5

A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS Christian Schools Australia Agreement

2021 – 2.3% 2022 – 2.3% 2023 – 2.5% Mark Northam Secretary

Members have resoundingly voted ‘yes’ to the new Christian Schools Australia Agreement, which affords them pay rises well above the NSW Government imposed 1.5% salary cap.

Key features of the agreement include pay rises and detailed provisions on how to request flexible working arrangements (for example, because the teacher would like to work part time to care for their child or because the teacher is a carer for aged parents).

New classifications for Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher will come in from the beginning of 2021 for teachers who have been accredited as such by NESA. The rate of pay will be approximately $6000 above the Step 13 teacher rate, but the additional amount is not

paid on top of a promotions allowance, if the teacher holds a promotions position.

Additional improvements The provisions applying to teachers moving from interstate or overseas will be clarified, so that experienced teachers who do not have NESA Proficient accreditation on commencement will not be penalised, provided the teacher attains their Proficient accreditation within one year.

Continued page 5

Time to get equal

(vol 40 #8) December 2020

Contents

News

1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 14

Features 2, 3, 7, 9,12

Reports 3, 4, 6, 7,8, 9, 12

Member stories 2, 10, 11, 13, 14

Member benefits 12, 15, 16 Newsmonth is published eight times a year (two issues per term) by the Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch.

Executive Editor: Mark Northam, Secretary for and on behalf of the IEU Executive and members Managing Editor: Bronwyn Ridgway Journalist: Monica Crouch

Sue Osborne Graphic Design: Chris Ruddle Online Journalist and Photographer: Angus Hoy Contributions and letters from members are welcome. These do not reflect endorsement if printed, and may be edited for size and style at the Editor's discretion. They should be forwarded to: Newsmonth 485-501 Wattle Street ULTIMO NSW 2007 GPO Box 116 SYDNEY NSW 2001 Tel: 8202 8900 Toll free: 1800 467 943 Email: ieu@ieu.asn.au www.ieu.asn.au facebook.com/ieunswact twitter.com/#!/IEUNSWACT Instagram.com/ieunswact This publication was produced on the unceded lands of the Gadigal People of the Eora Nation.

The IEUA NSW/ACT Branch acknowledges the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as the traditional owners of the lands where we live, learn and work, and pay our respects to their Elders past and present.

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Anyone who works in a school knows it cannot function without its dedicated support staff. Now these staff in Catholic systemic schools are striving for pay parity with their state school counterparts, writes Monica Crouch.

“We’re all in this together” is a refrain we’ve heard frequently throughout 2020, and nowhere did this prove more crucial than in schools. When the coronavirus pandemic forced schools to close at short notice earlier this year, teachers and support staff united to set up and manage online learning. Since re-opening, support staff have been central to keeping them safe.

Yet support staff in Catholic systemic schools, who are crucial to the proper running of countless schools throughout NSW, are paid substantially less than their counterparts in state schools.

In 2019, support staff in state schools had quite a win: the state government acknowledged it had been undervaluing them, and finally decided to correct it. After wages adjustments and some changes to the classifications structure were applied some received significant pay rises.

But this raise wasn’t the result of government largesse. “It didn’t come out of nowhere,” said IEU Industrial Officer Carolyn Moore. “It was the result of more than six years of hard work by the Public Service Association and its members to have their work properly valued.”

It's a fight the IEU has taken up in 2020.

Teachers join the cause Perhaps unsurprisingly, support staff in Catholic systemic schools have a key factor in common with their state school counterparts: most are women. Recognising this, IEU members at John Therry Catholic College (JTCC) in Rosemeadow proposed a motion at their regular chapter meeting on 6 November 2020: “The JTCC Chapter of the IEU calls on Wollongong Diocese to immediately address the pay imbalance between support staff working in Catholic education and their public school counterparts. The JTCC Chapter recognises the invaluable contribution support staff make and calls on Wollongong Diocese to rectify the historical undervaluing of support staff based on gender grounds.”

The meeting was attended by 57 teachers and support staff and the motion passed 57-0.

“No employee who chooses to work in Catholic schools should be at a financial disadvantage to their state school counterparts,” said IEU Rep Craig McKenzie.

“Matching the pay increases given to support staff in government schools is the right and just thing to do and acknowledges the invaluable contribution support staff make to the education of students in our care.”

Collaboration between teachers and support staff at John Therry is a consistent theme throughout the sector, and unity is vital in progressing the pay parity issue. “As teachers, we absolutely could not do our job without the unwavering assistance of our amazing support staff,” said Elizabeth Dadd, a teacher at John Therry. “They are at the forefront of everything we do in the classroom. Without the support staff, our students would be incredibly disadvantaged. It is imperative that they receive pay parity.”

The IEU couldn't agree more.

Devil in the details But here’s where it gets a little complicated. In contrast to teachers in government and non-government sectors, the classification model and pay structures for administrative and support staff in the public sector are markedly different to those in non-government schools, which means simply applying wage adjustments is not straightforward.

So this year the IEU formed a joint working party with the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER) to determine equivalencies between support staff in Catholic systemic schools and those in the NSW government school sector. The aim is to undertake a comprehensive review of the classification structure and comparative wage rates of Catholic school support staff and determine how they align with their public sector counterparts.

The IEU invited relevant support staff members to take part in a survey and a series of online meetings to discuss the issue, gather granular details of duties, and ensure the working party hears their voice. The union also invited support staff to submit diaries of their daily tasks as part of this process. Their responses are a real eye-opener.

Along with their official duty statements, support staff find themselves doing everything from supervising students in sick bay to arranging for a broken window to be fixed, projecting student numbers for strategic planning, coordinating staff communications, managing 'difficult' parents and community inquiries, scrutinising bank reconciliations, arranging Zoom music classes, setting up school photographs and handling enrolment inquiries. They are often the first port of call for a distressed student.

Then there’s all the coronavirus pandemic has thrown at them, including constant sanitising and supporting online learning.

Uniting for a good outcome In October and November, teachers and support staff voted on their enterprise agreement, cementing a pay rise of 2.28% in January 2021. So now it’s time for progress on parity for support staff with their state school counterparts.

“Now that the Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement has been voted on and endorsed by employees, the union has written to the CCER seeking to set up an initial meeting of the Working Party before the end of the year,” Moore said.

“Support staff responses to our targeted survey have provided invaluable information and lots of material to for us to work with, with many members volunteering to consult more directly with the Working Party over the next six months. The union will provide regular updates in Newsmonth and on its website.”

Throughout Catholic systemic schools, there is strong appetite for this overdue shift. Support staff have long supported teachers – the clue is in their title. Teachers are now returning it in kind. “Teachers and support staff uniting in the fight for pay parity shows that the value of support staff is being recognised in our schools,” said Katrina Robinson, a support staff officer at John Therry.

“And it is time this quality work was acknowledged with quality pay.”

Pay parity for early childhood teachers is not a revolutionary concept Early childhood teachers in NSW are awaiting a commitment from NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian and Early Childhood Learning Minister Sarah Mitchell to match the pay parity agreement announced last week by the Victorian government.

The Victorian announcement will see early childhood teachers finally paid the same rate as school teachers.

“Pay parity isn’t a revolutionary concept,” IEU Secretary Mark Northam said. “Early childhood teachers and educators have been undervalued for too long.”

The IEU is calling on the NSW Premier to follow the Victorian government’s lead by ensuring improved funding leads to improved salaries for the sector. In particular, university degree qualified early childhood teachers should be paid the same as teachers in schools. Such a commitment would provide an investment in communities across the entire state that will pay dividends for generations to come.

“Teachers are teachers, regardless of whether their workplace is an early childhood centre, a preschool, primary school or high school,” Northam said.

“Our members don’t teach for the income, they teach for the outcome. They know they could find work in a primary school

and increase the size of their pay cheque overnight, but a love of the work and a commitment to preparing the minds of our nation’s youngest people is what has kept them coming back day after day. The pandemic has shown them to be essential workers in every sense.

“Quality early childhood education is fundamental to supporting and promoting early childhood development.

Pay parity is essential to attracting and retaining a quality workforce, safeguarding into the future the world standard early childhood education and care that Australian families have come to rely on.”

The IEU has been running a lengthy campaign in pursuit of improved pay for early childhood teachers, including complex proceedings before the Fair Work Commission. The union is awaiting the outcome of this landmark case.

“It’s time for governments to step up, acknowledge and address the chronic underpayment and underfunding that plagues this sector,” Northam said.

“Time and again, in study after study, report after report, the social and economic case for a properly funded and professional early childhood education and care sector has been proven.

“Without action, NSW and Australia risk being left behind.”

Reflections of an exceptional organiser “The union represents the human values that the employers, when it comes to the crunch, can sometimes forget.”

Organiser Peter Bishop is set to retire this Christmas after almost 22 years at the IEU. Here he shares what he calls his “unreliable memoirs” of the past two decades.

Peter Bishop began his teaching career at St Clare’s College in Canberra in 1981 before relocating to John Paul II Senior High School in Marayong for nearly 15 years, where he taught English, Studies of Religion and General Studies, before JPII merged with another school in 1998 to become St Andrew’s College.

Bishop left the classroom after Term 4 at Terra Sancta College (since renamed St John Paul II College) in Schofields in 1998. He began his organising career with the IEU on 27 January 1999. A member of the IEU for 36 years, Bishop was also a Rep and a Council delegate before becoming an organiser.

Bishop describes the many IEU members he has had the privilege of working with over the years as “workers for the common good who have a clear eye to the best outcome for their students and colleagues”.

It has been his mission, to facilitate rights at work and to “call out the occasional nonsense” that comes from politicians and education authorities. “The union represents the human values that the employers, when it comes to the crunch, can sometimes forget,” Bishop said.

Easing the load Throughout his time with the IEU, Bishop said the union has always striven for fairness in the workplace, and the issue that most undermines this will be a familiar one to members. “Excessive workloads in schools are the basis of a lot of problems,” Bishop said. “They are the constant problem about which members are crying out.

“As workloads increase, resilience diminishes. People are tired. Teachers simply cannot continue to perform and

when they’re perceived to not be performing against some new and unreasonable norm, they can end up facing a stressful performance review.”

Members can also find themselves up against supervising extracurricular activities, NAPLAN responsibilities, out-of-touch leadership and aggrieved parents, yet discouragement to industrial action also takes a familiar form: good old Catholic guilt.

“They’re told ‘You can’t have industrial action because it will disrupt teaching and learning’,” Bishop said. “But if some dignitary comes to the school, it’s OK for them to disrupt it, but not for teachers to protect their own welfare.

It’s the union’s job to call this out before teachers get to breaking point.”

The consequences of excessive workloads extend beyond burnout. “Members’ abilities to share their stories and collectivise are diminished when they’re kept so busy,” Bishop said. “So it’s our job to fuel not just action, but also hope.”

Pushing for progress Bishop said one of the greatest gains for both teachers and support staff over his long career in the nongovernment education sector was the introduction of paid parental leave in 1994. At the time, Bishop was still a teacher at John Paul II. “I remember the chapter meeting,” he said. “Basically, we were looking at the diversion of a certain percentage of the pay rise to fund what at that stage became six weeks’ paid maternity leave. And there was not one word of demur in that chapter meeting and I suspect across other schools in the state.

“This was an issue of justice which was going to affect women particularly and I suppose that’s the most chuffed I’ve ever felt at a union meeting. I thought, ‘we’re really a

collective, aren’t we?’ We are a collective of values. It was brilliant. I felt so proud at that meeting. I felt 10ft tall.”

Comments from colleagues IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Secretary Mark Northam has nothing but high praise for Bishop. “Peter’s capacity to advocate for members and progress individual concerns while playing a key role in large-scale campaigns has been invaluable,” Northam says. “His ability to address members on a wide range of issues in a compelling and knowledgeable manner is legendary.”

Assistant Secretary Pam Smith offers equal commendation. “Peter’s contribution to the union as a member, as a Rep, as a Council delegate, as a member of the Executive, and as an organiser, colleague and friend, has been extraordinary,” Smith said. “Peter will live on in so many ways in the history of the union, in the contribution he has made, and how he’s valued by members.”

Note of encouragement Bishop may be leaving the IEU but he’s lost none of his fire.

He rails against the “great Tory conspiracy that undermines the value of the collective” and urges members and organisers to keep returning to the real values that need to be applied to workers: democracy, decent living standards, dignity and respect at work, secure employment, freedom from discrimination and equality of opportunity, to name a few.

“When we’re dealing with malevolence and self-seeking, we should call it out for what it is,” he said. “And we have the greatest gifts with which to work: the trust and good will of our members, the teachers and support staff. So we start off from a position of relative strength, because we know we are in a strong moral position.”

Monica Crouch Journalist

We made it through the most turbulent year Chris Wilkinson President

What a year, and we all made it through. Congratulations. Who could have guessed in 2019 what was before us: face-to-face teaching in the classroom to home based learning with a few days’ notice and multiple obstacles to overcome. Students with no internet connection, no devices or having to share with siblings. But where there’s a will there’s a way. Prayers were answered as we forged ahead.

Teachers, support staff and students soon found ways to overcome difficulties and learning continued. Carnivals, assemblies, sporting events, parent teacher interviews, information events and staff meetings were held via Zoom or put on hold.

The IEU also had to adapt to new ways with all sub branch, Executive, officer and Council meetings and the AGM via Zoom. Hopefully things will return to normal (whatever that may be) in the New Year.

I take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for your amazing efforts.

Student learning continued and exams and assessment tasks were conducted. Credit

must go to you all for the creativity and determination shown during this year.

Special thoughts to all of the exchange teachers having to cope in new environments with travel restrictions and lockdowns. What a way to spend a year and then not being able to come home because of airline difficulties.

Holidays are almost upon us and well deserved. I hope you make the most of them and you are able to travel to parts of Australia not previously visited. You may just decide to stay at home and enjoy the time to relax, read several books, cook, garden or just enjoy the family.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and a bright and successful New Year and I hope to catch up with you in 2021, face to face at sub branch meetings or at IEU Council.

To those who are retiring, best wishes for a wonderful retirement and to those who may be going on maternity leave, best wishes, enjoy.

Thanks to all members who supported the IEU, especially voting during IEU enterprise agreement negotiations.

I look forward to your continued support and friendship throughout 2021. newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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Member engagement achieves new EA for CatholicCare Wollongong “Member engagement and a strong collective spirit has delivered an EA to protect and advance their rights at work.”

Pam Smith Assistant Secretary

CatholicCare Wollongong has a new Enterprise Agreement (EA) providing pay rises and other benefits for counsellors who work in Wollongong Diocese schools, following three years of union-led negotiations.

The IEU covers a range of diverse sectors in nongovernment education and engages with members in these workplaces to protect and enhance their remuneration and conditions.

After a strong ‘yes’ vote, the EA is now with the Fair Work Commission for review and approval. In a year in which the NSW south coast has experienced bushfires and COVID, the valuable work of CatholicCare counsellors has come to the fore.

This is part of an overall EA for CatholicCare Wollongong employees and replaces the 2013 EA. “Although our negotiations stretched for three years and took much time and energy, they were ably supported by the IEU, and we were delighted, in this current climate, to

eventually negotiate a 2.5% pay increase for the next three years plus back pay for the last two years,” an IEU Rep for CatholicCare counsellors Sue Livingstone said.

“Achieving a variety of other workplace improvements was also rewarding. Of course, as always, there are still other things to achieve – hopefully next time around.’’

Enterprise bargaining in such sectors can be especially challenging and member knowledge and experience are particularly valuable in securing EAs which meet their needs.

Sincere appreciation is expressed to IEU CatholicCare members for their engagement with the EA negotiations and to the IEU bargaining reps Sue Livingstone, Gloria Melham and Rita Maher for their active participation in the bargaining process.

Given the current downwards pressure on pay increases by the NSW Government and the unwillingness of the AIS to bargain centrally with the IEU for pay rises for 2021, the clarity and certainty of a three-year EA with secured pay rises is welcome.

The new CatholicCare EA acknowledges the vital role of counsellors in supporting students and families and will provide for:

• • • •

pay rises of 2.5 per cent for 2020, 2021 and 2022 a simplified salary scale to enhance access to higher levels two pay levels for team leaders, and improved travel arrangements, including confirmation that school counsellors will now be paid if needing to travel to another location after reaching their base for the day.

If school counsellors need to travel 50kms out of their normal working arrangements, this can be negotiated and claimed. There will now also be unrestricted travel for team leaders and group workers from their base.

The EA also provides enhanced provisions for access to flexible work arrangements, the right for non-primary carers to take parental leave as a specific allocation not deducted from personal/carer’s leave, five days paid family and domestic violence leave, a confirmed right to take long service leave at half pay and improvements to study leave provisions Member engagement and a strong collective spirit have delivered an EA to protect and advance rights at work.

Addressing work intensification Liam Griffiths Assistant Secretary

For 18 months the union has engaged Catholic dioceses in discussions around ever increasing workloads for staff and measures to manage work intensification.

These complex issues confront teachers and other education staff on a daily basis and are a major source of frustration and stress for the profession.

Some steps have been taken by many Catholic employers through Work Practices Agreements to codify and regulate areas of teachers’ work, including reducing meeting time requirements, establishing guidelines for collecting data, responding to email communication and providing support for recent graduate teachers.

These are significant reforms, but they only scratch the surface of the root cause of the problem.

Significant workload is caused by constant curriculum reform, programming overload, professional development requirements and compliance with a never-ending set of demands generated by government, systems, schools and individuals themselves.

The task at hand is daunting but achievable – to establish and implement a regulatory framework that achieves a steamlined set of compliance measures, that eliminates unnecessary requirements around data collection and management and provides structures for programming and assessment that fulfill obligations without reinventing the proverbial wheel.

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Many employers have shown good faith in acknowledging the validity and significance of this agenda and the importance of addressing it in meaningful ways. They have engaged in discussions around the problems confronting the profession.

However, the rhetoric has yet to be matched by significant reforms in the key areas, including the provision of time for professional collaboration and planning.

While 2020 has thrown up its own unique set of challenges, it should not be an excuse for inaction or delay by employers to continue engagement with their staff and the union to advance this important agenda.

Economic slowdown, enrolment concerns and sources of school funding are all a constant part of the landscape. This is a question of priorities and a question of producing smarter reform measures which tackle unnecessary work requirements at the source and which remove invalid compliance measures, eliminating duplication and redundant processes.

At its core, this agenda aims to reinstate the central importance of teaching in the workload demands on teachers and education staff and the elimination of bureaucracy and administrative burden which increasingly supplants it. As many in the profession say ‘let teachers teach’.

This letter from a long standing IEU member working in a Catholic secondary school gives insight to the daily routine many teachers face.

In 2021 the union will accelerate its work around measures to address work intensification and seek further member support and engagement in this work.

Dear members increases, the IEU in gaining us salary I appreciate the efforts of lt times. particularly in these difficu rrent load our teaching loads. Our cu However, the real issue is istic. on chr ana y, ching is, frankl of 20 hours face-to-face tea able in the past, teaching in 2020 son While it may have been rea us. ero on is a lot more e to do: mples of what we now hav Here are just a couple of exa uld be ed; we’re told that they sho m and Programs are overly detail gra pro the up k pic in, come like this so ‘that anyone can ught that if you are a teacher in e tho teach from it’. I would hav ch detail. In you wouldn’t need so mu t tha a are ng rni lea key my r writing che tea ac’ ‘pr a though I am rewriting programs I feel as out lesson plans. ate fits all’. We now need to cre Tests are no longer ‘one size approved by the learning them ‘modified’ tasks, then get complete dents need more time to stu e om r. S che tea rt suppo paper, red lou co t nted on differen the task, others need it pri w do we ho n, the d An . etc included, others need a word bank h the students? Furthermore, wit extend the more capable time is re mo t oks, this means tha shift away from using textbo ivities. act and s rce modify resou needed to find, develop and ing. How louder and more demand Parents’ voices are getting ’s results en ldr chi ir the nd explaining much time do we now spe to them? ’ list. been added to our ‘to do SALT modules: this, too, has uld add more duties.

I’m sure other members co Brian Doughan rs IEU member-30 plus yea

Continued from page 1

A BRIDGE OVER TROUBLED WATERS Christian Schools Australia Agreement

Further, an improvement in the new MEA will allow more flexible timing of the two weeks paid concurrent parental leave (including paternity leave). The leave can be taken any time within 12 months of the date of birth or adoption rather than immediately from the date of birth or adoption. Leave is deducted from personal/carer’s leave.

This agreement is significant as its duration (202123) bridges 2022 which is likely to be a challenging year in salary terms, due to the NSW Government’s proposed legislative cap on public servants pay of 1.5%, if productivity measures can be demonstrated.

Productivity measures are not synonymous with education, are inordinately difficult to assess and at their core, conflict with the collegial nature of teaching.

Under the NSW Government’s policy settings, teachers, support staff and principals will see no real wage increases for the next four years. It should be noted that forecast inflation is 1.5%. Put simply, a freeze on real wage growth is being implemented by the NSW Government.

How does this impact on enterprise agreements which sit outside the jurisdiction of the NSW Government – for example, Catholic systemic schools and Association of Independent Schools – which are in the federal industrial relations system?

NSW public servants salary outcomes set a benchmark.

Catholic systemic salary outcomes have for decades been linked to NSW state government school teachers’ outcomes. When a wet blanket is applied to public servants, its impact is widespread.

AIS schools are currently ‘bargaining’ but salary outcomes are being delivered locally. The NSW Government has created a climate where employers feel comfortable driving down salaries.

The IEU joined with public sector unions in recent times to reject the 1.5% cap and its negative implications.

Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey indicated the decision “is a slap in the face for public sector workers after the most challenging year of their lives”.

“Reasonable pay increases would have been the quickest, most efficient way to have achieved economic stimulus,” Morey said.

The Federal Government has also recalibrated its wages policy. Federal public servant increases are linked to the private sector. Professor John Buchanan, Head of Analytics at University of Sydney’s Business School is critical of this stance. Buchanan captures it adroitly when he stipulates that “in times of recession it (the Federal Government) has a leadership role to play – and that is to set a positive wages norm”.

Leadership on salary outcomes is vital. Currently the AIS has abrogated its responsibility to be responsive in what are challenging times. Christian Schools Australia has been decisive in negotiating with the IEU and formalising an agreement which recognised the complex work of teachers, especially in COVID times.

Schools covered by the Christian Schools Australia Agreement Belmont Christian College Berowra Christian Community School Brightwaters Christian College Burrabadine Christian Community School Calderwood Christian School Casino Christian School Cedars Christian College Charlton Christian College Coast Christian School Covenant Christian School Deniliquin Christian School Dubbo Christian School Green Point Christian College Greenacre Baptist Christian Community School Heritage Christian School Hinterland Christian School

Hope Point Christian School Hunter Christian School Illawarra Christian School Kuyper Christian School Liberty Christian College Maitland Christian School Moree Christian School Mountains Christian College Nambucca Valley Christian Community School Namoi Valley Christian School Northcross Christian School Norwest Christian College Nowra Christian School Orange Christian School Oxford Falls Grammar School Parkes Christian School

Independent schools bargaining Continued from page 1 Other pay claims The union has also sought increases to the Band 2 Proficient Teacher rate in Standards Model schools.

Currently the Band 2 rate is $99,000 compared to the 2021 top Proficient rate (achieved by incremental progression) in government and Catholic systemic schools of nearly $108,000.

We also consider the Band 3 rate in Hybrid Model schools, accessed after successfully completing the ISTAA process, should match the Band 3 rate in Standards schools – currently there is a $2000 discrepancy.

In relation to support staff, in addition to the general pay increases, our claim includes pay increases to match those awarded in 2019 to support staff in NSW government schools and under discussion next year in NSW Catholic systemic schools.

The AIS has not agreed to discuss any of these matters until the general pay increases are agreed and it has strongly opposed an increase in the Band 3 rate in Hybrid Model schools.

Conditions claims The union will be seeking assistance of members at the Chapter level in 2021 to ask schools to review their position on the IEU claims.

At this stage, there is no consent by the AIS to any improvements in conditions, but the AIS has agreed to further discussions on some issues.

The next steps Many schools that have not currently made a pay offer will review their position once enrolments are clear for 2021. This is likely to be the case from Week 3 of Term 1 next year.

The union therefore expects that bargaining both on the pay rises and the conditions claims will resume more seriously early in Term 1.

We will update members at this time.

Penrith Christian School Regents Park Christian School Richmond Christian College Snowy Mountains Christian School Southern Highlands Christian School St Andrew's Christian School St George Christian School Summerland Christian College Taree Christian College Toongabbie Christian College Tyndale Christian School Wagga Wagga Christian College Wellington Christian School Wycliffe Christian School Wyong Christian Community School

Fight for fair outcome for ‘Model A’ schools Negotiations for new multi-enterprise agreements (MEAs) for teachers and support staff in the seven Catholic independent schools classed as ‘Model A’ have stalled.

Model A schools are Brigidine College St Ives, Mater Dei, Mount St Benedict College, Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta, St Scholastica’s College, St Vincent’s College (teachers only) and St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill.

Santa Sabina College is seeking its own enterprise agreement (EA) but is currently on an EA similar to the current Model A MEAs. Traditionally Model A MEAs schools have been represented by the Catholic Commission for Employment Relations (CCER).

Conditions have reflected those in other Catholic independent schools, but in the case of teachers, the pay rates and classifications have reflected those in Association of Independent Schools (AIS) 3 Band schools.

Normally, negotiations between the union and the AIS for the AIS MEAs are completed well before the Model A schools bargaining. However, it appears that the Model A schools and Santa Sabina College represented by CCER, are now refusing to make new MEAs because the AIS has refused to make new MEAs for its 220 member schools.

A key difference between the Model A bargaining and the AIS bargaining is that the AIS is representing more than 200 schools and has stated that it is impossible to reach a common position across all those schools. Each independent school is making its own offer to employees based on its own circumstances.

The CCER claims it is unable to negotiate for seven schools (eight including Santa Sabina), other than to make a common pay offer.

Other schools have not felt so constrained. The union has just made a new three-year agreement with 47 Christian schools in NSW and the AIS is seeking to make a new three-year enterprise agreement for 10 Christian schools.

CCER has made an interim offer of a 2.28% pay rise for Model A schools in 2021. Many AIS schools have committed to the 2.5% claimed by the IEU. The union considers the schools should seriously consider the totality of the union’s claim and make new MEAs for three years. It is not good enough to refuse to bargain just because the AIS is not bargaining.

Members in Model A schools have been urged to hold urgent chapter meetings to endorse the union’s claim and encourage non-members to join.

newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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We need to talk about domestic violence As work moves into family homes, family violence moves into the workplace. So Unions NSW has developed an invaluable resource for every employee, writes Monica Crouch.

In Australia, one woman is killed every nine days by a partner or former partner, and one in six women over the age of 18 have been victims of intimate partner abuse, says NSW Attorney General Mark Speakman. This, he says, is the “savage reality” of domestic and family violence in Australia.

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (25 November), Speakman was at Trades Hall in Sydney for the launch of Unions NSW’s new and much-needed resource: Working from home isn’t safe when home isn’t safe: How to respond to family & domestic violence in home-based workplaces.

It’s an essential guide. It lists signs to look out for, services that offer help, and suggests simple, respectful responses if you suspect a colleague is experiencing domestic violence.

It is practical and concise. And in 2020, it is crucial.

The Unions NSW launch also coincides with the international campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence which, Speakman notes, culminates in Human Rights Day on 10 December. “It’s the right to be free from violence,” he said. “It is hard to think of a more fundamental human right.”

Pandemic amplifies problems For many women experiencing domestic violence, work can be the one place where they feel safe, valued and respected. But move that workplace to the home, and domestic violence escalates.

“Coinciding with the move to working from home, almost one in 10 Australian women in a relationship experienced domestic violence,” Unions NSW reports. During this period, Women’s Legal Service NSW experienced a 30 percent increase in calls for help compared with the same period last year.

“It’s bittersweet that the technology that enables us to work from home also exposes those who are abused to even greater abuse,” Speakman said. “It means women can be cut off from help and cooped up with a perpetrator who will be listening to their phone calls and watching their internet use. It’s a greater opportunity for a perpetrator and a greater barrier to getting help.”

Morey points out that working from home is a work health and safety issue and employers must do more to meet their obligations to provide a safe workplace. He also noted that when workplaces implement domestic violence leave, they are also inclined to adopt other measures to support women.

“Domestic violence leave is a tiny investment to keep workers, primarily women, safe. It’s the right to be free from violence.

It is hard to think of a more fundamental human right.”

Leave provisions a top priority Also speaking at the launch was Unions NSW Secretary Mark Morey, who noted the day marked five years since unions in NSW had initiated the campaign for a universal entitlement to 10 days’ paid domestic violence leave a year for Australian workers.

“We have achieved 10 days paid domestic and family violence leave for public sector workers in NSW and our unions in the private sector have included many clauses in their agreements,” Morey said. “The NSW union movement has been successful in moving a mountain which many thought could not be moved.”

Domestic violence leave enables women the time and privacy to report to police, to see medical professionals and social workers, to arrange emergency housing, and to attend court to get legal structures in place to protect them and their children.

Domestic violence leave can mean the difference between life and death.

“It’s a tiny investment to keep workers, primarily women, safe,” said Speakman, who is also NSW Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence.

Australian Services Union NSW & ACT Branch Secretary Natalie Lang, a driving force behind the new resource, is emphatic about this leave. “Why should your experience of family violence and your need to take time from work not be the same as if you had appendicitis?” she asks.

“Why should you have any lesser right?”

The IEU has prioritised this leave, so far achieving 10 days’ paid domestic violence leave in the new Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement. The union will continue to claim domestic violence leave as a specific category of leave, separate from personal leave or carer’s leave provisions, in other EAs. 6

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Getting resourceful Lang draws inspiration from teachers.

“Who’d have thought that overnight, huge proportions of our workforce could shift to working from home?

Who’d have thought our entire education system could move to online learning?” she said.

“We can do great things when we know that we must. When 800,000 women in the workforce are living with the trauma of family violence, we can and we must do something. Whether you work in an office or at your kitchen bench, you need to be safe.”

We can all start by downloading the guide, reading it, passing it on to a colleague and ensuring there are copies readily available in workplaces.

Working fro m home isn’t safe wh en home isn’t safe:

https://www.asumembers.org.au/ working_from_home_when_home_ isnt_safe

How to resp ond to family & domestic violence in hom e-based work places.

New workforce strategy for early childhood sector NSW/ACT and QNT Branch IEU organisers are working on a National Workforce Strategy. In March 2019, ACEQUA was tasked with undertaking research and analysis of the early childhood workforce and a report of their initial work was presented to the Education Council.

The Education Council endorsed the development of a new workforce strategy, but COVID has delayed the work. A report is to go to the Federal Government in February, and then to public consultation in April 2021 with full implementation in June 2021. A number of key topics have been identified, and it will be interesting to see if the Federal Government is prepared to act on many of them.

Wages and conditions have been raised, in particular the need for early childhood teachers’ salaries to be comparable to school teachers’ salaries. However, there is no agreement on how this is to occur.

The question of teacher registration for all early childhood teachers has been raised. The IEU would be concerned if a different registration system was to be developed for the sector, given that in NSW, all early childhood teachers are required to meet the same standards as teachers in schools. We and many other participants are opposed to a separate registration system from teachers in schools.

How to overcome the retention and attraction of early childhood teachers in remote and rural locations has been extensively discussed, with a number of options canvassed, including removing HELP debt for teachers who work in remote locations, development of professional support systems through technologies such as Zoom, location allowances etc. There are further meetings scheduled for the next two weeks.

As well as the many small standalone agreements that the union is currently progressing, we are in negotiations with several employers who operate a number of services.

University of Western Sydney Early Learning operates three centres on their various campuses.

The offer on the table is currently 1.5% per annum and the removal of paid lunch breaks. While our members currently receive salaries above the modern award their salaries are not the same as teachers in schools.

Integricare operates a number of services in the Sydney area. Integricare has agreed to recognise masters degrees for the purpose of incremental progressions. They have agreed to additional ‘no contact time’ to prepare Transition to School statements, and additional non-contact time for educational leaders. We are still waiting for an offer on salaries and other matters on our log of claims.

Goodstart talks ongoing Goodstart negotiations are continuing. These negotiations are complex as they are national and numerous bargaining representatives attend.

While early childhood teachers are only a small section of their national workforce, Goodstart have acknowledged the significant role early childhood teachers play in the quality of the services. For example, in NSW all teachers are able to access RDO, while other employees cannot. We hope to conclude negotiations early next year.

Changes to the Educational Services (Teachers) Award In addition to the rates for casual teachers in long day care being calculated on the modern award rates for teachers in long day care, a further change to the modern award has ensured that casual long day care teachers who work over eight hours in any day will now be paid at overtime rate hours in excess of 7.6 hours.

Verena Heron Industrial Officer

Brought to your

workplace by the Australian Services Union and its commitme NSW & ACT nt to ending (Services) Branch domestic violence

Boys will be boys An online PD presentation recently shared at an IEU’s Women’s Forum focused on why gender stereotyping is detrimental not only to staff, both males and females, but to the wellbeing of students in boys’ schools.

Presenters Barbara Kinnane and Lourdes Ndaira (pictured), both teachers with more than 20 years’ experience, recounted how a grassroots response, begun by female staff in early 2017 at Edmund Rice College Wollongong, addressed the problems experienced by women working in a male dominated environment. What began as Women@ERC quickly transformed to InclusivityMatters@ERC. The presentation examined how Women@ERC allowed women to freely and anonymously register their concerns.

InclusivityMatters@ERC preceded the release in July 2017 of Live Life to the Full by Wayne Tinsey, Executive Director of Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA).

This policy identified Edmund Rice Colleges as ‘inclusive communities’ where the ‘charter and touchstones’ embrace students, staff and family members as ‘made in the likeness of God’ irrespective of their sexual orientation and asserted their right to be given the opportunity to experience the fullness of life.

InclusivityMatters@ERC recognised the inclusion of LGBTQI+ members of the community as a significant focus of the group. Barbara and Lourdes acknowledged the impetus Live Life to the Full gave to the growth of InclusivityMatters@ERC. InclusivityMatters@ERC focusing allocated inservice time for workshops on issues identified by the group and presented by them in consultation with the principal and assistant principal.

Lourdes said video and documents were often used to stimulate discussion. Staff were organised in groups with diverse ages,

the character of boys’ schools included: • focusing too much on the importance of the father/son relationship at the expense of the mother/son relationship, and • the need for affirmative action to address the overwhelming male dominance of Pastoral Care Leadership teams and in the Executive team.

EREA has recently launched a Gender Equality Strategy identifying its commitment to enabling female leaders and revising its recruitment processes to align its policies with gender equality objectives.

Barbara (bjkinnane@gmail.com), who has now retired, and Lourdes (lourdeshere@ gmail.com) would be happy to share their knowledge with colleagues at other schools.

gender and faculty members. Lourdes stressed the importance of transparency and the need for full disclosure, where all results of discussions were shared.

“This was crucial for authentic engagement to occur and in a context where individuals were not the focus,” she said.

During the IEU’s PD presentation, she shared a video simulation of a staff workshop on the topic ‘boys will be boys’. This workshop explored how this phrase not only encouraged inappropriate behaviour, but was insulting to males, suggesting they have no self-control or agency.

During the workshop, other significant points raised for discussion in reference to

Comments from participants “I think the times we are living in are too precarious for the executive not to listen.

Look at what happened to AMP, different but similar.”

“Eye opening and practical.”

“The Australian Human Rights Commission released a major report in March this year on Sexual Harassment in Australian Workplaces.

It includes reference to the role of schools in fostering values of dignity and respect. A useful resource.”

“I hope your work will change the views/ behaviour of the males on staff who are not in a good place yet. Well done and thank you.”

“It is interesting that quite a few girls-only schools have too many male role models, whereas we don’t see females as principals in male schools.”

IEU keeping close eye on governance changes at Uniting Church schools The IEU is closely monitoring a change in governance arrangements affecting a number of Uniting Church schools.

Ravenswood, Knox Grammar School, Kinross Wolaroi School, MLC School and Pymble Ladies’ College are affected by the changes, which centre on a change to the ‘employing entity’.

While schools have assured members that “apart from the change in the employment entity, nothing will change”, the union has written to the AIS seeking assurances that this is indeed the case, particularly with respect to leave accruals and continuity of service.

The IEU has also sought assurances that the current multi-enterprise agreements will continue to cover teachers and support staff at these schools after the change.

We have also flagged that we will take steps in the Fair Work Commission to ensure that all future employees at these schools will be covered by the current multi-enterprise agreements.

At publication time, the IEU was awaiting a formal response from the AIS.

PRESENT TENSE The year in review What a year 2020 has been! From bushfires to the global movement Black Lives Matter to the end of Trump. Oh, and the small matter of a once-in-acentury pandemic. It’s been a year like no other, and while world events will provide teachers with no end of subjects to base resources on, I’m sure we’ll all be glad when we can put 2020 behind us. With a new US President, vaccines seemingly on the way and the end of the drought, 2021 is starting to look a little more promising.

Of course, it’s the pandemic that has made the biggest impact, both in the world at large, and in the postsecondary education sector. As an industry that relies heavily on international students, the closure of Australia’s borders since March has created an existential threat to the sector, and many venerable institutions have been casualties.

However, there may finally be some good news on the horizon. In November, both Pfizer and Moderna announced highly encouraging results for the vaccines they have developed, with media reports suggesting efficacies of over 90%. Given that vaccines typically take several years to develop, to arrive at this stage in less than a year is nothing short of extraordinary and gives the world hope that the ordeals of 2020 may soon be over.

As long as the borders remain closed, however, the

industry won’t be getting back on to its feet, but here too there are some encouraging noises being made. It is likely that pilot programs for international students will be introduced in the New Year, and many providers are working on the basis that students will be able to come back onshore by the middle of next year. Nothing is certain yet, and another Melbourne-style outbreak would quickly put us back to square one, but as the year comes to a close, there are some signs of hope.

Industrial relations changes When the pandemic was at its peak back in autumn, many temporary changes were made to industrial relations laws, mostly with the consent of the ACTU. The Federal Government then arranged a working group of unions, employers and other stakeholders to try and come up with longer term changes, so that Australian workplaces might be well placed to capitalise on the recovery from the COVID recession. However, as this column has previous reported, these talks broke up on the rocky shoals of fundamental differences between the various interest groups.

In mid-November, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that the government would bring an omnibus Industrial Relations Bill before Parliament before the end of the year.

As yet, we don’t know exactly what these changes might be, though the tight timeframe suggests that the government is

trying to avoid extensive scrutiny of them.

In particular, Morrison has made suggestions that the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) might be watered down.

The BOOT is a crucial part of the protections under the Fair Work Act, and ensures that workers cannot be worse off under an enterprise agreement or other contractual arrangement than they would be under the relevant award (and given that the award guarantees only very basic conditions, this is a pretty low bar).

The ACTU, with the full support of the IEU, is therefore encouraging workers to sign this petition, calling on the government not to reduce protections below what they currently are: https://fortheworkers.australianunions.org.au/ petition?utm_campaign=sally_ir&utm_medium=email&utm_ source=actuonline.

The ACTU and the IEU also encourage you to send a short email to the government explaining why: https://www. australianunions.org.au/FTW-email?utm_campaign=sally_ ir&utm_medium=email&utm_source=actuonline.

This will be final edition of Present Tense for 2020, but we’ll be back keeping you informed in 2021. From all of us at the IEU, we wish you and your loved ones all the best for the festive season.

Kendall Warren Organiser newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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The NCCD:

The proof is in the survey In the September issue of Newsmonth we outlined the IEU’s response to member concerns regarding the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data (NCCD) process. Here’s an update on the work so far.

After consultation with the IEU’s NCCD Working Group, the NCCD survey was launched on 15 September and closed during the September holidays. In order to gauge the level of concern across schools, rather than within schools, the survey was directed to the learning support teachers or co-ordinators in each school who carry the major responsibility for the NCCD. A total of 320 members engaged with the survey.

Although the survey was fairly extensive, more than 90 percent of respondents completed it. Since only one member per school could participate, and the overwhelming majority were sounding the alarm on workload issues, the survey clearly demonstrates that concern about the NCCD process is widespread.

The survey participants were highly engaged and provided approximately 850 comments in addition to the objective data. Analysis of this data will continue during Term 4. The preliminary examination included collating quantitative data with the help of our external consultant, Michael Elphick, and identifying some recurring themes from the comments.

As a way of acknowledging the time and efforts of the respondents, survey participants were invited to attend one of two online meetings offered in Week 3 and Week 4 of Term 4, to hear feedback on the initial data analysis. The objective data clearly demonstrates two significant factors: • the bulk of this essential work is being undertaken by a part-time work force, and • the overwhelming majority of respondents also indicated they were spending between 2-14 hours per week of unpaid time outside of school to complete the task.

While there is no doubt that participants in the survey support a nationally consistent process for the collection of data to inform the funding for students with special needs, the comments provide a clearer picture of the reality of implementing the process at the school level.

While the analysing of the comments continues, recurring themes that were shared with the survey participants include significant workload intensification. Participants are clearly indicating that this intensification is independent of the pandemic, and that the increase in workload has been building for some time.

While the impact on personal health and wellbeing was raised repeatedly, most respondents identified it as their primary concern due to the way it interfered with their core work – supporting students with special needs and their teachers.

There are inconsistent guidelines and confusion around the amount and type of evidence required for the submission. Respondents report conflicting advice and changes in the requirements from year to year, and even within the year.

“The survey clearly demonstrates that concern about the NCCD process is widespread.”

The evidence and data expectations beyond the task required by the NCCD itself is a concern. Employers adding layers of evidence, or finding additional uses for the data, seem to be the source of the additional requirements.

There are concerns that the platform was unreliable.

Duplication caused by the need to save data in more than one place, and the inability of the platform to handle the volume in peak times, were notable issues.

Irregular and insufficient release time results in a significant component of work out of school hours. Even where release time is provided, it seems to be woefully inadequate.

There’s a lack of faith in the efficacy of the process.

While there does not seem to be any argument that a nationally consistent collection of data process is needed, respondents question the return on their investment in time and effort and raise concerns about the transparency of the process.

Participants in the online feedback sessions indicated that the bulk of the data collected across the 320 schools correlated closely with their own experience.

While the majority of survey participants were the learning support teacher or co-ordinator in their school, and they were highly motivated to raise concerns that impacted them personally, many repeatedly raised concerns about the workload impacts on their classroom teacher and support staff colleagues. Solidarity was clearly on display.

An online meeting was also held in Week 4 to allow principals to provide feedback. Although the number of participants was small, comments made during the online meeting, and submitted in writing before the meeting, highlighted the same concerns identified by teachers.

The IEU considers that a multi-level approach to tackling some of the most pressing NCCD issues will be needed. The data collected from the survey will inform the strategies we develop to approach federal bodies, state agencies and employer groups. Our aim now is to produce and publish a report on the research, either at the end of this year or early next year. We will keep the survey participants and members up to date as the work continues.

Veronica Yewdall Organiser

Unions can Coles

Let’s keep the pressure on Carolyn Collins

Vice President Support Staff

On 19 November, IEU Organisers Dave Towson and Jeff Pratt joined hundreds of members of the United Workers Union at the Coles distribution centre in Smeaton Grange, near Campbelltown, to support their strike over job security and redundancy conditions.

Coles is planning to close the centre in 2023 in favour of a new, more automated facility, and workers are seeking either redeployment or fair redundancy payouts for long term service. The supermarket giant, which made a net profit of $951 8

newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

million this year (up by 7.1% on 2019), reacted to a brief 24-hour stoppage with a brutal three-month lockout over the Christmas/New Year period.

IEU members at nearby Magdalene Catholic College are also supporting the Coles workers. “The members at Magdalene College stand in solidarity with the workers at Coles, both in the spirit of a united labour movement, as well as the Catholic social teachings of solidarity and subsidiarity,” said Chapter Rep Marco Cimino.

“Many in our local community are affected

by this lockout, both due to its proximity to the school and at a personal level. As a show of support, IEU members have mobilised and provided the workers with water and food to give them the strength they need to continue fighting for their rights as workers, and as human beings, to access decent working conditions.”

You too can support the Coles workers in their call to end the cruel lockout by signing their petition: https://www. megaphone.org.au/petitions/coles-yourlong-serving-essential-workers-deserverecognition-and-respect

Thank you to all support staff for your continued engagement with the union during this difficult year.

Catholic systemic school support staff who participated in the recent IEU survey and filled out the journals are providing invaluable information to the combined working party (see Time to Get Equal P2).

Congratulations to all Catholic systemic support staff on such a strong ‘yes’ vote.

This was not without its problems, as many members were not sent ballots due to an administrative error by some dioceses.

The union was made aware of this early enough for the issue to be raised with the dioceses. It is disturbing that these problems should arise during such a significant event.

Negotiations for teacher and support and operational staff enterprise agreements in independent schools are ongoing. AIS and the union are locking horns because there is no centralised pay offer across the sector.

It is vital support staff members in these schools keep informed and engage with their school’s IEU chapter. Let’s keep the pressure on and ensure that there are fair and equitable outcomes in all independent schools.

Always have your say by attending sub branch and chapter meetings. Read Newsmonth and log onto the IEU website for up-to-date information.

Lifesaving assistance within 72 hours The UN Refugee Agency is committed to protecting and supporting refugees around the world Every three seconds, someone is forced to flee because of persecution, conflict, violence or human rights violations. They leave behind their homes, possessions, work or source of income – sometimes even family members. Many children lose parents along the way, having to fend for themselves in dangerous and traumatic circumstances.

“When we first founded Australia for UNHCR in 2000, there were 20 million people displaced worldwide and just one major crisis in a given year,” said Naomi Steer, founding National Director of Australia for UNHCR, the private sector partner of the UN Refugee Agency.

“Now the latest figures show 79.5 million people forcibly displaced, with many crises compounding each year and especially in 2020 – with the coronavirus pandemic, renewed conflict in Syria, ongoing humanitarian disaster in Yemen, the explosion and subsequent shelter crisis in Beirut, and the increasing frequency of climate change emergencies.”

Steer has a longstanding relationship with the IEU and its members including speaking at the IEU’s annual women’s conference. A former student of Monte Sant Angelo College, she credits her old school for embedding the importance of social justice in her and leading her on her path to her current role.

“Refugees are some of the most vulnerable people in the world today – and I am very thankful that so many independent schools, teachers and students have been so active in advocating for refugees both in Australia and globally including attending our Annual World Refugee Day Breakfast.”

“And we know how much refugees value education – the one thing that can’t be taken away but sadly is also so often hard to access,” Steer said.

Hope for the future In a world where displacement situations last an average of 20 years, UNHCR’s most recent education report, Coming Together For Refugee Education, shows 48 percent of school aged refugee children are out of school.

Some 85 percent of the world’s refugees are hosted in developing countries, where health, education and other infrastructure are already strained. As refugee numbers grow year on year, the burden for host countries becomes heavier as well.

“We need to work together around the globe if we’re to have a hope of resolving this,” Steer said.

“Refugees and the countries that host them need our support. Education is one of the most powerful tools there is to help refugees become self sufficient and give back to their communities.”

UNHCR’s education programs aim to ensure access to school programs within the first three months of displacement – a critical time to address not only learning needs but also to provide protection against social isolation, trauma and the negative aspects of long term displacement including violence, child labour and for recruitment into gangs.

Saving lives In addition to providing longer term support such as health services, education and livelihoods, UNHCR is also a first responder dealing with multiple emergencies.

And as Australia warms up, the harsh winter months are well on their way for vulnerable families displaced across Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, with the extreme cold weather bringing a fresh set of challenges to an estimated 4 million people in need of urgent assistance in the region.

For some, this will be their first year in displacement. For others, their 10th.

The coronavirus pandemic will make this winter even more gruelling, with social distancing restrictions threatening income opportunities for refugees and pushing many households into deeper financial uncertainty and poverty.

“When someone is forced to flee at a moment’s notice, they’re rarely able to carry heavy winter gear with them, like thick clothing, blankets or heaters. For those who have been displaced multiple times in their search for safety, any savings have been long exhausted,” Steer said.

UNHCR is already on the ground working to prepare settlements and refugee families with: • core relief items such as thermal blankets, clothing and shelter weather proofing kits • seasonal cash assistance for heaters, fuel, food or medicine, and • improvements to shelters and other settlement infrastructure to withstand the harsh winter conditions.

“Having visited refugee situations over many years, I have witnessed the lifesaving and transformative relief that UNHCR delivers,” Steer said.

“But we now face new and increased challenges in meeting the needs of refugees globally. We cannot do it alone and that’s why I am very grateful for the many Australian supporters, who over 20 years, have taken action to stand with refugees.”

Learn more about supporting refugee education at unrefugees.org.au/refugeeeducation. Donate now to help refugee families survive the freezing winter unrefugees.org. au/winterfund

Principals news Strong ‘yes’ vote sends clear message As the year draws to a close, the IEU acknowledges the many challenges principals and their school communities have faced during 2020.

Term 4’s IEU principals sub-branch meeting was held on 7 November with a focus on the enterprise agreement (EA) negotiations for principals in the 10 NSW/ACT dioceses and in the Sydney Archdiocese.

Voting for the new EA for principals in the 10 dioceses other than Sydney occurred in the week of 9 - 13 November.

The result was a strong ‘yes’ vote of 98.2 percent. Negotiations are continuing for a new EA for Sydney Archdiocese principals.

Principals sub branch expressed its gratitude to Alan Le Brocque, long term Wagga Wagga Diocese rep to the sub-

branch, who has stepped down from the role after many years of dedicated advocacy on behalf of his fellow principals in the Wagga Wagga Diocese. The incoming principals’ rep for the Wagga Wagga Diocese will be Seb Spina from St Francis De Sales Regional College in Leeton.

Peter Galvin from the CanberraGoulburn Archdiocese also informed the sub branch of his pending retirement.

Sincere appreciation is expressed to Peter for being an ACT principals’ rep for many years and for ensuring that the IEU was always well informed of issues affecting ACT systemic principal members. We wish Peter all the very best for the future.

Armidale Diocese principals’ rep Geoff McManus, who has been principal at McCarthy Catholic College in Tamworth for the past six years, will be taking up

a role at Armidale CSO in 2021. The IEU thanks Geoff for his role on the subbranch and extends best wishes for the CSO role.

IEU Zoom meetings were held with Wagga Wagga principals on 5 November and with Wilcannia-Forbes principal members 17 November. An online meeting for Canberra-Goulburn Diocese principals is being planned. Other opportunities to meet with principals in Term 4 are most welcome.

As well as discussion of EA issues, the recent meetings with Wagga Wagga and Wilcannia-Forbes Diocese principal members highlighted the challenges facing schools in rural and remote areas, including enrolments, staffing, funding and resourcing. Mental health issues for students and families, including lack of

access to services, were identified as a concern for many principals who noted the impacts on their own workloads and that of staff.

For 2021, the proposed sub branch dates are the AGM on 13 February and meetings on 1 May, 7 August and 6 November. The format of these sub branch meetings (in person, via Zoom or a combination) will be determined in due course.

The IEU thanks principal members for their engagement and support in navigating the complexities of 2020 and looks forward to continuing to work with you to protect and enhance your industrial, professional and wellbeing interests.

Pam Smith Assistant Secretary and Principals Organiser

newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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IEU’s own songwriter, bass guitarist and union organiser Kendall Warren entertains with fellow bandmembers at the Petersham Bowlo in November

Suzanne Macrae celebrating her birthday with Sharon Thorpe at St Francis Xavier Lake Cargelligo

Members vote ‘yes’ at St Thomas Aquinas Charnwood

Presentation to TMB/IEU Environment Grant winning school St Mary’s West Wyalong

Above and below: Members vote ‘yes’ at St George Christian School

Peter Hawes of Marist College, Canberra receives his 30-year membership badge

Steve Maguire of Catholic Education Office, Diocese of Bathurst receives his 30-year membership badge 10

newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

Canberra Montessori School members discuss current issues about wages and conditions

Leigh Clarke of Holy Family, Kelso receives her 30-year membership badge.

Organiser Richard Ryan presents Gavin Holmes from St James Primary School Banora Point with his 30 year badge

Unions say to no state government pay freeze The NSW Government and Premier Gladys Berejiklian want to cap public sector pay increases at just 1.5% – forever.

IEU Secretary Mark Northam (pictured above) spoke at a rally of union members at NSW Parliament house supporting public sector workers and denouncing this destructive decision.

This pay cut hurts everybody – not just public sector workers.

Celebrating an historic moment Ol’ man river That ol’ man river He don’t say nothing But he must know something Cause he just keeps rolling On 9 November about 50 unionists gathered on the steps of the Sydney Opera House to honour the 60th anniversary of the very first performance at the now world famous venue.

Acclaimed African American bass baritone and civil rights activist Paul Robeson sang Ol’ Man River for workers on the construction site. It was 1960, and Robeson had only just obtained a passport after it was denied in 1958 in the US’s McCarthy era.

IEU Organiser Tina Smith joined representatives from the CFMEU (who organised the event), the MUA, the South Coast Labour Council and the Teachers’ Federation as opera singer Rachel Bate, daughter of an Illawarra coal miner, sang the same two songs Robeson sang in 1960: Ol’ Man River (from the musical Show Boat) and union anthem Joe Hill, about an American labour leader.

Spied in the audience in 1960 was a 16-year-old Paul Keating, then employed by Sydney City Council, who had come down to the building site on a double decker bus with a friend.

newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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Annual $136.30

Who has been most sexist in COVID times?

It’s membership renewal time again Check your emails, including your junk mail, for an IEU membership renewal notice for 2021. If you haven’t registered an email address with the IEU, you should receive your notice by mail.

The renewal shows the information the IEU currently holds for you. If there are no changes for 2021 and your payment method is automatic (payroll deductions, automatic credit card, diect debit) you do not need to return the renewal as payment and details will continue in 2021.

If you have changes to your personal details, workplace or workload, including parental or long service leave for example, or your payment is not automatic (credit or BPAY) you need to return the renewal. Simply click the my-membership-details link in the electronic renewal or return in the reply paid envelope if you received a renewal via post.

We’ve included summary of options below that we hope will help you complete the renewal. If you are unsure or need assistance contact membership staff, we are happy to help. Direct phone line: 8202 8900 – press 1 Email: membership@ieu.asn.au Check out these renewal options for 2021 • I would like to pay the annual discount rate in 2021 If your payment method is automatic (automatic credit card/EFT) and set for yearly payments, this rate will be processed automatically on 29 January 2021.

• Non automated payers need to return the renewal by 8 February 2021 to pay the discount rate.

• If you paid via payroll deductions in 2020, you need to advise your employer payroll directly that you wish to cease deductions.

• No changes for 2021 and my payment method is automatic (automatic credit card/EFT/payroll deductions). Do not return the renewal, your membership will automatically roll over in 2021.

• My payment method is not automatic (credit card/BPAY). Return the renewal or phone IEU Membership on 8202 8900 (press 1) to update.

• There are changes to my personal or work details in 2021. Return the renewal or phone IEUA Membership on 8202 8900 (press 1) to update.

• I did not receive a renewal/ I need assistance to complete renewal. Contact IEU membership via phone 8202 8900 (press 1) or email membership@ieu.asn.au • I am going on parental leave in 2021. We offer a discounted rate for parental leave.

Return the renewal or phone membership on 8202 8900 (press 1) to update.

• I want to cease my automatic payment in 2021. If you are on automatic payment (automatic credit card, payroll deductions, direct debit from your account) and do not wish to pay via this method in 2021 reply to the renewal or phone 8202 8900 (press 1).

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newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

The much-celebrated Ernie Awards are presented in Sydney each year for world class sexism and inappropriate speech. The awards were founded 28 years ago by a group of union leaders and supportive members of NSW Parliament, who decided that calling out sexism and sexist remarks might help create change. The IEU (then ITA) was one of those supporting unions.

Ernies founder and organiser Dr Meredith Burgmann said “this year there were 238 nominations in six categories – media, political, judicial, industrial, sport, and clerical/celebrity plus of course The Elaine, for remarks least helpful to the sisterhood, which is often the most hotly contested category. There is also a trophy for boys behaving better, The Good Ernie, and a trophy for habitual offender, The Trump.”

IEU staffer Wendy McMurdo puts forward nominations each year.

McMurdo is pictured here (above right) with Dr Burgmann, having this year nominated Jayson Westbury CEO of the Australian Federation of Travel Agents, for his statements to the media objecting

to Tracey Grimshaw’s reporting of a travel industry refund scandal: “She needs to be given a firm uppercut or a slap across the face”.

McMurdo also nominated the Council of the Order of Australia for the Celebrity/ Clerical Silver Ernie, for actually awarding Bettina Arndt an AM for “significant service to the community as a social commentator, and to gender equity through advocacy for men”.

A Silver Ernie was awarded to Shore School boys for their ‘Triwizard Shorenament’ which challenged students to have sex with a woman over 80kgs; aged over 40; or who is deemed to be a ‘3/10 or lower’.

The Good Ernie (for boys behaving better) went to actor Sam Neill who said, “I actually think it would be better if men just shut up for a while, resist the urge to shout over the top of women, stop being boofheads and bullies. And when someone says ‘You’re not the boss of me’ you better believe it. You’re just a guy that messes up the house or the office.”

The Trump (for repeat offender)

went to Mark Latham for his consistent performance throughout 2020.

The Elaine (for remarks least helpful to the sisterhood) was a dead heat, going to Bettina Arndt and Pauline Hanson. Arndt made a public statement on the murder of Hannah Clarke and her children “congratulations to the Queensland police for keeping an open mind and awaiting proper evidence, including the possibility that Rowan Baxter might have been ‘driven too far’.”

While Hanson, deputy chair of the Family Court Enquiry, stated that women fabricated stories about domestic violence, “a lot of the women out there abuse the system by instigating false DVOs against their former partners or their husbands. They use that to further their needs. Domestic Violence Orders have got completely out of hand.”

For more information and other awards for 2020 go to www.ernies.com.au Bronwyn Ridgway Communications and Media Officer

Drive into 2021 with a new car At Teachers Mutual Bank, we are committed to investing in the education community, We’re also here to help members of the education community plan their summer holiday!

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Teachers and support staff stepped up this year Bernadette Baker

Vice President Catholic Systemic Schools

As the year draws to an end, with the summer holidays on the horizon, I am reminded what a tumultuous year it has been. Industrially, dealing with the Catholic employers has been challenging. Their tendency to hide behind COVID-19 and the constant delay of meetings has bordered on a lack of good faith.

It took all year to finalise an award that ran out a year ago and the new one will last only one year. This means we have to jump into new negotiations quickly.

COVID-19 has again proven that Catholic schools’ best asset are teachers and support staff. During the crisis, teachers and support staff stepped up to addressing the needs of their students and often their families. This usually meant that education structures and delivery was completely redesigned and reorganised. Teachers

and schools adapted to the needs of their students with a positive and can-do attitude. Despite the difficulties we made it work.

In the background, employers were doing everything in their kit bag to slow down any sort of award being brought to completion.

Those of us at the chalk face began to feel devalued and used by the people who should have been going out of their way to make us feel strong and empowered. It was a disappointing display of lack of respect for the employees in all schools. Despite this, IEU members prevailed and the agreement was finalised.

The year of 2020 demonstrated several things for me as a teacher in a systemic school: the staff in our schools are magnificent examples of the mission of Catholic schools and evangelisation while our employers continued to disappoint. Their actions often don’t match their words. The IEU is as strong as its members and I encourage you to invite those who do not belong to join.

Take a deep breath, we are nearly at the end, and I am looking forward to a sleep-in and the break. Wishing you a wonderful and restful holiday – however you choose to celebrate.

Back in the swing of things at home

Emotional roller coaster ride Whilst the global pandemic has had an effect on our teaching exchange in Canada, we refuse to see it as a negative one. We have had many wonderful experiences and made many beautiful friends which we will treasure for a lifetime.

Preparing to come home is a mixed bag of emotions. On the one hand we are excited to get back to our home, family and friends, and on the other hand we will be sad to say goodbye to our friends and community here.

Added to this is the emotional rollercoaster ride that has been built around the restrictions put on Australian travellers returning home and the consequential cancellation of flights and associated expenses and emotional stresses that many Australian families have been having to deal with.

Personally, we are currently safe, employed and supported by our exchange community. We have been actively reaching out to our politicians and staying

in contact with our airline. We are adding to our savings to help deal with expenses that will arise if we are unable to get home by the time our exchange contract expires, and we are staying in touch with Helen Gregory from the IEU. Although at times it is difficult, we feel it is important for all of our sakes that we maintain a positive attitude when contemplating our return home. There are some things we can control and many that we can’t, so we are taking each day as it comes and enjoying what it has to offer.

If and when a problem arises, we will deal with it then, not before, and move on. We don’t want to miss any opportunity to enjoy our remaining time here in Canada.

Glenn Corben St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Orange; On exchange to: Monsignor Michael O’Leary Catholic School Bracebridge, Ontario Canada

Despite COVID, an amazing time I can’t believe how fast this year has gone, considering we have spent so much of it with limited movement and social contact.

I have managed to book flights home ... now fingers crossed I can get on them, and don’t get bumped. This entire getting home process has been so stressful! First, there was NO consistent information – the Australian Consulate in Vancouver wasn’t able to give any advice really, other than good luck. Being the only exchangee from Perth, even the information from you guys had to be checked and rechecked, because of WA’s hard borders. We can’t actually get home to Perth, so will have to quarantine in Sydney, then again in Perth. Hopefully at home in Perth and not in another hotel.

Being part of Aussies getting home and Aussies in quarantine groups has been both amazing and awful. I found my flights home through their information, but reading all of the stories about being bumped, cancelled, no refunds and awful quarantine conditions has been really scary and very stressful. I had to ban myself for a little while.

A co-worker asked me about a week ago how I was feeling about my return home. I actually don’t think there is an emotion that I am not feeling about going home. Excited and happy to be going back to my friends

and family (my son was supposed to join me, but couldn’t get permission to leave), sad to be leaving new friends, nervous about saying goodbye, since I don’t know when I will see everyone again (lots of people were planning to come next year and visit – but who knows now).

I’m nervous about whether or not I will be homeless, jobless and carless if I can’t get on my flight, scared of how I will be able to deal with any delays, terrified of quarantining without fresh air with two kids.

I have so much anger at my government who is making it so hard to get home.

Frustrated and angry at so many of my fellow West Australians, who love what Premier Mark McGowan is doing, and have actually said to me “Well you were told to come home in March” with so little understanding of any of it.

The stress is actually insane to deal with, while also trying to work full-time, and make sure all reporting etc is ready for my exchange partner to return and finish the school year. Ultimately though, I would do it all again. Despite COVID, I have had an amazing time, and I would recommend teacher exchange for sure!

Joanne Huttner, St Anthony’s Primary School, Wannaroo, WA

Our flights from Ottawa appeared initially eventful, but after packing everything and showing up to the airport, we were told that we couldn’t fly as there was a connection issue. They were very nice though, and worked for the next hours to find us another route for the following day. The flight from LA was eerily empty.

After the quarantine, we all returned to school and I got back into the swing of life at Corpus.

We very much enjoyed our time in Ottawa and are planning to return in a couple of years to catch up with the friends we made. Thank you for helping to organise the exchange, we still had a great year and made some wonderful memories.

John Iverson, Corpus Christi Catholic High School Oak Flats, NSW on exchange to St Patrick’s High School, Ottawa, Canada

Homecoming a challenge I cannot believe that it is November already and in around two months’ time my partner Paul and I will be (hopefully) flying back home from Calgary, Canada to Australia. I say ‘hopefully’ because at this stage we do not have flights booked to come home.

Hawaiian Airlines have cancelled our original booking and we were lucky to have received a refund. We are now in the process of booking new flights to return in January.

There are currently several challenges with the task of booking a flight home, due to the Australian government enforcing caps on the number of Australians allowed to return from overseas.

This global pandemic has affected us all in some way and Aussies overseas do not know if we will be able to board our booked flights or even if we will get refunds if our flights are cancelled. Currently, my partner and I can book flights with one of the few airlines still flying to Australia, but the cost is at least three times the regular price. Unfortunately, we are not guaranteed flight confirmation with any of these airlines.

At this stage, we will also need to quarantine for two weeks in a designated hotel upon arrival to Sydney. I am lucky that I will still have a job and paid leave consideration if I cannot get back to Australia or finish quarantine by the end of January.

The added stress of finding a flight home is considerable for all of us on a teacher exchange here in Canada. My year here has been an incredible experience despite the pandemic but please send some prayers our way that we can return to our country and to our families soon.

Nicole Lenihan, St Michael’s Primary School, Nowra

Teacher exchange to take a break The popular program has been suspended for 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic. Thank you to all for your support of our Teacher Exchange program throughout 2020.

Due to the global reach of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on global travel, accommodation, schools and communities, the International Teachers’ Exchange program has been suspended for 2021.

The IEU has been in constant contact with exchange participants who have been overseas throughout 2020, keeping abreast of changes that affect their daily lives.

Exchange coordinators and authorities are currently seeking the best ways teachers and their families can return safely to their homeland, consulting with government departments on costs of flights and quarantine arrangements.

COVID-19 has affected all our lives in 2020 and the International Exchange Program Coordinators recognise the additional stress teachers have been put under due to the pandemic. It is wonderful that so many of our current IEU exchange teachers have supplied photos and articles documenting their experiences. As you can see from the pages of Newsmonth, our teachers and making the best of these difficult times.

To those applicants who have been submitted applications for a match in 2021, I thank you for your interest and submissions. We will keep your applications for the following year.

Keep well and safe Helen Gregory Teacher Exchange Coordinator helen@ieu.asn.au

newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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Labour bites

My year in the USA No one doubts this year has brought a raft of challenges. For me, on teacher exchange in Denver, Colorado, my challenges started with being in a new country with a different school system.

As the year progressed, there has also been the little matter of a mismanaged COVID-19 pandemic, rioting in the streets, the Aussie dollar hitting a 10-year low, a powder keg election, having my flights home cancelled, and having to navigate five different learning models over the course of the year. While the melting pot of bad luck has caused me to spend many days questioning my time here, would I do it again if I had the chance? Absolutely.

Even though 2020 was not the year in the USA that I had imagined, it has been the best professional development and personal experience I could ever have hoped for.

As for my day-to-day teaching, I have slowly been going mad teaching only eighth grade science in a middle school. I repeat the same lesson four times a day and, when we were physically in the classroom (apart from the mandatory fire and lockdown drills), there has been no variance to the schedules.

No sports, no excursions, no assemblies. I would also be lax not to mention the grading. I have graded more papers this year than I have in my entire 10-year teaching career. Here, you grade every piece of work that the students submit. If the students don´t keep their grades up, they fail and have to go to summer school, or repeat.

I am also now a master at various online learning models. These have changed through the year to accommodate the rising and falling levels of the pandemic. During the first wave, I taught an asynchronous remote model, posting a week’s worth of lessons for the students to complete and turn in for a grade.

I then transitioned to a synchronous remote model – whenever I would normally teach class, I taught over Zoom. When the COVID numbers began to get under control in September, parents were given the opportunity to send their students back to school in a hybrid (blended) model or they could choose to keep them remote.

I was given a mixture of remote and hybrid classes! This meant I saw half of the hybrid students in person each day, while the other half worked asynchronously at home. At the same time, I also taught my remote only student synchronously online. Now due to rising COVID numbers in our school district we are back to fully synchronous remote learning.

During the three weeks we spent in the hybrid model, I had to undergo a quarantine period due to students in my class testing positive for COVID. Apart from the worry, it meant I wasn´t able to get out and explore Colorado for two whole weeks!

Despite the challenges, this year has been a blast. I have totally loved most of my time here. The weekends and holidays have been fantastic!

During the almost three month summer vacation, my family and I travelled as much as we could.

The pandemic forced us to cancel every single trip, activity and booking we had made, and we were instead lucky to be lent a camper trailer. We travelled with the other exchanges and their families along a carefully plotted road trip in which we tried to avoid COVID hotspots and cities with civil unrest due to the Black Lives Matter movement.

Right now, with two months to go, and lots to still do, I am feeling ready to come home. It is election day in the US as I write this. The Australian Consulate-General advised us to be prepared for riots.

Downtown Denver has boarded up the shop fronts in preparation.

Where we are in the suburbs, we feel safe that if riots were to occur, just like they did when the Black Lives Matter protests escalated, we would be fine. But we have done a Costco shop to prepare just in case.

All in all, being back on Australian soil will be the best feeling, regardless of whether we have to spend two weeks in hotel quarantine.

Even after 2020, I would encourage anyone who wants to learn more than you could ever imagine and have the time of your life to apply for teacher exchange.

“Even though 2020 was not the year that I had imagined, it has been the best professional development and personal experience I could have ever hoped for.”

Claire Goldie, St Joseph’s Regional College, Port Macquarie On exchange to Century Middle School Thornton, Colorado 14

newsmonth - www.ieu.asn.au

Death threats against trade unionists In the three decades until 2016, Colombian trade unions report that 990 of their members were murdered. Another 3000 were threatened with assassination.

In October, death threats were sent to all 15 members of the Executive Committee of FECODE, the Colombian Federation of Education Workers, as well as to the President of the Trade Union Confederation cut.

The threats took the form of a funeral wreath with the words ‘rest in peace’. Sixteen candles and 16 obituary notices with the name of each targeted union leader were also delivered to the home of Carlos Rivas, FECODE’s Secretary for legal affairs.

FECODE and Education International have launched a major new online campaign on LabourStart demanding that the Colombian authorities act to ensure immediate protection measures for the entire FECODE leadership, and for all union and social leaders and activists.

Source: LabourStart

California has rejected a major gig economy reform In a victory for companies like Uber and Lyft, California will classify ride hailing drivers as independent contractors.

Proposition 22, created to decide the future of the California gig economy, has passed.

The proposition concerned whether appbased drivers for companies like Uber and Lyft are employees or independent contractors.

And its success means those companies will effectively be exempted from a California law that would have pushed such drivers to be classified as employees.

The decision is a major win for gig companies that cements their influence over state policy.

And it is a serious loss for gig workers hoping for stronger workplace protections as well as labour advocates in other states hoping California could become a model for gig economy reforms.

Source: Vox.com

Landmark case to lift aged care wages The Health Services Union has launched a landmark work value case in the Fair Work Commission to lift wages for the aged care workforce by 25 percent.

If the case succeeds, over 200,000 personal carers, activities officers, catering, cleaning, and administration workers would see their pay rise by at least $5 an hour.

The starting rate for a personal carer is currently $21.96 per hour, and the average carer retires with $18,000 in superannuation If the HSU claim succeeds, a qualified personal carer would see their wages increase from $23.09 to $28.86 an hour.

The HSU claim also seeks to build in career paths and to recognise specialist carers in areas like dementia or palliative care.

“Aged care in this country has relied for too long on the goodwill of an underpaid and insecure workforce of women. It’s time for change,” said Gerard Hayes, HSU President.

Source: Medianet

Serial underpayer slugged $230K in first ‘serious contravention’ case The Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) has won its first ‘serious contravention’ penalties three years after the provisions were added to the Fair Work Act. A café and its former general manager were fined a total of $230,000 on their second visit to court for underpaying workers.

Given access to higher penalties and expanded powers following the 2017 passage of the Fair Work Amendment (Protecting Vulnerable Workers) Act, the workplace watchdog was yet to use them before last week’s Federal Circuit Court judgment.

However, with the FWO arguing that the higher penalties should also apply in three other matters currently before the courts, underpaying employers now have reason to heed Judge Christopher Kendall’s warnings about the repercussions for “cavalier” attitudes towards fulfilling their obligations. Source: Workplace Express

Anti-union attacks in Brazil At the beginning of the pandemic, local media in São Paulo (Brazil) reported front line workers’ voices exposing irregularities and violations of basic health and safety standards in one of the most important and respected hospitals of the municipal public health network.

Their reports exposed the lack of protective equipment, including masks and aprons, overcrowding and improvised Intensive Care Units in waiting rooms.

In an unprecedented and unfounded reprisal, five nursing professionals were transferred out to workplaces far from their homes under the pretext of the State of Emergency.

The Municipal Workers’ Union of São Paulo – SINDSEP formally presented a letter to the municipal government rebutting all of their allegations against these workers, while demanding their immediate return to their workplaces.

Two months later, the union is still waiting for a response. Source: LabourStart

IEUA NSW/ACT Branch Executive

Won’t be heaven sent The turmoil continues in the financial press regarding the legislated increase of employer contributions (SG) to super to 12 percent. The SG rate was three percent when introduced on 1 July 1992 and rose to nine percent in the following 10 years. It has only risen by 0.5 percent in the last 18 years! Legislation was passed in 2013 increasing the rate by half a percent each year from 1 July 2021 until it reaches 12 percent in 2025 after the Abbott government postponed the gradual increases at that time.

So why is the 12 percent such a big deal?

Firstly, it would mean that people would not have to work as long to attain a comfortable retirement. Even the small, gradual increases with the benefit of compounding interest over years would strengthen account balances. Secondly, it would deepen the pool of our national savings which is based on a world class retirement plan.

The superannuation pool of money allows governments and corporate investors to borrow money at commercial rates for infrastructure projects such as roads, rail and airports. No need to go overseas for capital. It certainly served Australia well during the Global Financial Crisis, avoiding a recession. And the 12 percent contribution rate was the original Keating plan to provide a comfortable and dignified retirement via an income stream.

And thirdly, it would relieve pressure on the Age Pension as the proportion of retired Australians grows in relation to those still in the workforce. It is a social benefit!

So what’s the rub when the benefits are so clear?

More than 10 government backbenchers have called for yet another postponement of the SG increases. While acknowledging that the increase has been legislated, Senator Hume’s comment on the increases was “I’m reasonably ambivalent. It’s going to be a political decision.” In response to the arguments that the nation cannot

afford the increases due to the effect of the pandemic, Labor has accused the government of forcing more Australians to retire in poverty.

The political dance, the spin and the rhetoric will be interesting to watch in the run up to the scheduled date of 1 July 2021. No doubt the old arguments will be regurgitated that the increase will result in lower wage growth. And the false dichotomy that if the increases come in, unemployment will sky-rocket and wages will remain stagnant.

Just ask the teachers, nurses, police and firefighters about wage increases. The master of the succinct and architect of compulsory superannuation, Paul Keating, has called the proposal to further delay the increases a ‘nasty attack’ on workers’ retirement savings. The claims that keeping the SG contribution at 9.5 percent will deliver workers a future pay rise are flawed and lacking in substance.

So the increase to 12 percent will not be heaven sent, but will be the subject of debate and struggle even though it was an election promise. As always, the argument will be that we can’t afford it now. The same argument that was run by some employers when the compulsory SG came in in 1992.

The good fight says that the increase to 12 percent should stay in place for the dignified retirement of all workers who so deserve it.

On behalf of the NGS Super Trustees, management and staff, we wish you a safe, healthy and prosperous New Year. It has been a difficult year for all of us.

Secretary Mark Northam (pictured left) Eora Nation Deputy Secretary Carol Matthews (pictured right) Eora Nation Assistant Secretary Liam Griffiths (pictured second right) Eora Nation Assistant Secretary Pam Smith (pictured second left) Dharug Nation President Christine Wilkinson St Joseph's Girls High School East Gosford Kuring-gai Nation Deputy President Tina Ruello Catherine McAuley Westmead Dharug Nation Vice President Non Systemic Bruce Paine Kinross Wolaroi School Orange Wiradjuri Nation Vice President Systemic Bernadette Baker St Mary’s Cathedral College Sydney Eora Nation Vice President ECS Gabrielle Connell Ross Circuit Preschool Lavington Wiradjuri Nation Vice President Support Staff Carolyn Collins St Michael’s Primary School Nowra Yuin Nation Vice President ACT Angela McDonald St Thomas Aquinas Primary School Charnwood Ngunnawal Nation

Financial Officers Denise McHugh NESA Consultant Tamworth Kamilaroi Nation Peter Moore De La Salle College Cronulla Tharawal Nation General Executive Members John O’Neill Carroll College Broulee Yuin Nation Anna Luedi St Mary’s Catholic Primary School North Sydney Eora Nation Suzanne Penson Mackillop College Port Macquarie Biripi Nation Helen Templeton Presbyterian Ladies College Armidale Nganyaywana Nation Phoebe Craddock-Lovett Marist College North Shore Eora Nation Amy Mead St Augustine’s Primary School Narromine Wiradjuri Nation Simon Goss Holy Spirit Primary School Lavington Wiradjuri Nation Libby Lockwood St Joseph’s Primary School West Tamworth Kamilaroi Nation

Bernard O’Connor NGS Super Company Secretary/Manager Insurance and Complaints

(Important information: The information in this article is general information only and does not take into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before making a financial decision, please assess the appropriateness of the information to your individual circumstances, read the Product Disclosure Statement for any product you may be thinking of acquiring and consider seeking personal advice. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Any opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the view of NGS Super.)

with Professional Development and Reps Training

www.ieu.asn.au Our locations Sydney 485-501 Wattle Street, Ultimo NSW 2007 8202 8900 Parramatta Level 2, 18-20 Ross Street, Parramatta NSW 2150 8202 8900 Newcastle 8-14 Telford Street, Newcastle East NSW 2302 4926 9400 Lismore Unit 4 Professional Centre 103-105 Moleswort Street, Lismore NSW 2480 6623 4700 ACT Unit 8, 40 Brisbane Avenue, Barton ACT 2600 6120 1500 newsmonth - Vol 40 #8 2020

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Sticker World Farm Little Bird’s Day Publisher: Magabala Books Author: Sally Morgan Illustrator: Johhny Warrkatja Malibirr Inaugural Kestin Indigenous Illustrator Award Winner A simple, universal story of a day in the life of Little Bird as she sings the world alive, flies with Cloud, travels with Wind, nestles with Moon and dreams of flying among the stars. Sally’s beautiful words and Johnny’s sensitive artwork combine to make this a beautiful, distinctive publication with global appeal. Johnny infuses his illustrations with his fine art aesthetic, his traditional motifs and a quirky sense of humour.

Publisher: Lonely Planet Kids Author: Kait Eaton Illustrator: Aviel Basil From growing crops and building barns to rounding up herds of sheep and milking cows, this is your chance to create the ultimate farm. Keep bees and make delicious honey, fill your shop with tasty food and drink, and drive a tractor everywhere!

Just add stickers, doodles and lots of colour to bring it all to life.

As the farmer, you’ll have loads of fun activities to do, including: • creating a map so visitors can find their way around • planting and tending to crops in your fields • looking after ducks, geese and chickens • milking cows and making delicious ice cream • building a climbing frame for goats to play on • keeping bird away with a watchful scarecrow, and • raising lambs, piglets and calves.

Frankie and Joely Publisher: University of Queensland Press Author: Nova Weetman Frankie and Joely are best friends. They love each other like no one else can. But when a summer break in the country brings fresh distractions, simmering jealousies and festering secrets, can their friendship survive?

It’s the holidays and, together, Frankie and Joely board a train and escape the city and their mums for a week of freedom. But when Joely introduces Frankie to her country cousins, Thommo and Mack, it soon becomes clear that something other than the heat is getting under their skin. As the temperature rises and the annual New Years’ Eve party looms closer, local boy Rory stirs things up even more and secrets start to blister. Suddenly the girls’ summer getaway is not panning out how either of them imagined. Will they still be ‘Frankie and Joely’ by the end of their holiday?

Email entries to giveaways@ieu.asn.au with the title of the book you would like to receive in the subject line. Write your name, membership number and postal address in the body of your email. All entries must be received by 11 January 2021.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE MATTERS As we reach the end of a particularly challenging year, it’s a time to look forward.

What do we want the future to look like, not just for us, but for our children and grandchildren, and our planet?

At NGS Super, we believe we can all make a positive difference. We invest your money to create the best possible financial returns, so you’ll enjoy the retirement you deserve. At the same time, we measure our investments against the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, to see where we can do better for the world. No one is perfect, but we can all do our bit.

ngssuper.com.au 1300 133 177

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Go to superratings.com.au for details of its ratings criteria.

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To find out more about how we’re working towards a brighter future, visit ngssuper. com.au/fundsustainability