EdU (April 2010)

Vol 25 Issue 1 Apr 2010

EdU

Independent Education Union South Australia Working with members in non-government schools

coming soon with over 50 years experience in delivering quality financial services to Teachers and Educators ...knowledge counts

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Contents Secretorial – Warning! Reform tsunami!

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Registration Board bans creationism from science classes

5

Call for AGM motions

5

State funding crisis

6

Modern awards are irrelevant for most

8

Keeping it out there

9

Book Review – Joe Van der Katt and the Great Picket Fence

9

School reporting and MySchool

10

World’s McDonald’s workers now have online forum

10

Fiji: Repressive one day, outrageous the next

11

Absolutely Super: Active vs. passive investment management styles 12

ISSN 1448-3637 Published by Independent Education Union (South Australia) Inc. 213-215 Currie Street, Adelaide SA 5000 Phone: (08) 8410 0122 Fax: (08) 8410 0282 Country Callers: 1800 634 815 Email: enquiries@ieusa.org.au EdU is published 4 times a year and has a circulation of approximately 4000. Enquiries regarding circulation should be directed to the Communications Coordinator, on (08) 8410 0122.

Editorial comment is the responsibility of Glen Seidel, Secretary.

Advertising Disclaimer Advertising is carried in EdU in order to minimise costs to members. Members are advised that advertising that appears in EdU does not in any way reflect any endorsement or otherwise of the advertised products and/ or services by the Independent Education Union (SA).

2010 Reps’ Organising Conference photos

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2010 Reps’ Organising Conference report

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Probation should not be purgatory!

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OHS project – A health and safety representative is not a health and safety officer

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Book Review – Great Labor Quotations

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What’s your problem – ask Dorothy

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Votes for women!

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APHEDA

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John Blackwell (Retired) (Vice President)

2010 IEU Rep Education Program

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Footpath – Rory Harris

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Jenny Gilchrist (Prince Alfred College) (Vice President)

ESO profile: Marlene Maney, Cardijn College

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Christopher Burrows (Cardijn College)

Balancing extra-curricular activity with life

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Greg Elliott (St. Peter’s College)

Intending advertisers should phone (08) 8410 0122.

IEU(SA) Executive Members Margaret Sansom (Retired) (President) Glen Seidel (Secretary)

Val Reinke (Nazareth College) (Treasurer)

Sheryl Hoffmann (Concordia College) Noel Karcher (Christian Brothers College) Marlene Maney (Cardijn College) Stephanie Margitich (Gleeson College) Shirley Schubert (Cornerstone College)

DON’T FORGET TO ADVISE IEU(SA) IF: • You have changed address • You have changed your name • You have changed schools • Your employment status has changed (eg. now working part-time) • You are going on unpaid leave • You are retiring or leaving employment – you can remain a member at a reduced rate • Resignation from IEU(SA) must be in writing Details can be forwarded by email to carlyd@ieusa.org.au, by fax on (08) 8410 0282, or by post.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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Secretorial

Warning! Reform tsunami!

Glen Seidel Secretary As recurrent education funding dollars are always insufficient to meet needs, non-government schools have been subjected to increasing attack from pro-public education advocates. This will heat up in the near future as the federal government overhauls the SES funding model, and as the financial viability of individual schools comes under the microscope. Expect the same old dodgy statistics about the percentage of federal funding going to non-government schools, and the allegations of our schools being enclaves of privilege or some form of socio-religious ghetto.

The once distant rumblings of centralised control of education and industrial relations are soon to wash over Australian schools. Running was never an option, of course, but now is the time to hold firm against the objectionable and swim with the current of the beneficial and inevitable.

Those who work in our schools know these to be unfair stereotypes and, to combat them, the IEUA has commissioned a study by the Edmund Rice Centre on non-government schools and social cohesion, which was launched at a national symposium in Canberra in March 2010.

Your union has an important part to play in how reforms are implemented. To date, much of the debate and consultation has occurred at the national level, where officials of our federal ‘hat’ (the Independent Education Union of Australia) have been lobbying and negotiating on behalf of IEU members in every state. Now, with the government’s reform agenda announced, it’s time for all members to join the discussion about how the outcomes can be successfully implemented at the school level.

Elsewhere, behind the scenes, national partnerships are being developed between the federal and state governments. Draft professional standards for teachers have now been released for consultation, and they are differentiated by the categories Graduate, Proficient, Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher. This is reminiscent of the NSW three-tier teacher classification system, which was the subject of a presentation at our 2010 Reps’ Organising Conference by Carol Matthews.

ACARA’s recent launch of the national curriculum for broad final consultation is not in itself a bad thing. The federal government has insisted on tight timeframes for all of its initiatives, from award modernisation to BER funding to insulation programs and so on, and it aims to implement the national curriculum just next year. But if sufficient time and money for inservice and local curriculum development aren’t allowed, then the whole project will stumble and collapse in a heap. The practitioners need to be supported, consulted and involved in the grass-roots implementation.

And, by the same token, practitioners have a responsibility to participate in the process.

Tied into public criticism of states, schools, and teachers who have somehow failed to produce the expected outcomes, is a model of improved pay for exemplary teachers. SA Catholic school salaries are set to reach our goal of national benchmarks if negotiations continue as expected, but it will be interesting to see how committed employers are to developing and recognising excellence when they realise that it comes at a significant cost.

For example, teacher salaries of $100K rather than the current mid-$80K.

The controversy surrounding the launch of ACARA’s MySchool website has highlighted the difference between data and information. The anticipated beat-up by media in some states in particular has thankfully dissipated, but IEU concerns about the meaningfulness of the like-school comparisons and the methods of presenting student data remain. Information is always useful, but student data without context is only of use to those opportunistic elements of the media pandering to the chattering classes.

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On the industrial scene, we will be reacting to the national push to harmonise OHSW legislation. The proposals for which are so far very much a lowest-common-denominator approach. The Fair Work Act 2009 has redefined collective agreement-making, and the national employment standards and modern awards will impact in different ways, too.

All in all, expect the whirlwind of change to continue.

Though much of the detail can be quite technical or complex, it cannot be avoided. It will wash over you eventually.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Registration Board bans creationism from science classes In a bold and potentially controversial move, the South Australian Non-Government Schools Registration Board has unambiguously stated that intelligent design and creationism are not suitable bases for a science curriculum in South Australian non-government schools.

B4. The teaching of Science in relation to creationism and intelligent design The board requires the teaching of Science as an empirical discipline, focusing on inquiry, hypothesis, investigation, experimentation, observation and evidential analysis.

The Board does not accept as satisfactory a science

curriculum in a non-government school which is based upon, espouses or reflects the literal interpretation of a religious text in its treatment of either creationism or intelligent design.

Obviously, creationism and interpretation of religious texts are still valid subject matter for religion classes.

However, it remains to be seen how some will justify their curriculum offerings at their next registration review visit, especially if it still is ’based upon, espouses or reflects’ a literal interpretation.

But once the classroom door is shut, who will know what is taught, what is said and how matters are presented?

Call for AGM motions Members are invited to submit motions to be tabled at the annual general meeting of the Independent Education Union (South Australia) Inc. and the SA branch of the Independent Education Union of Australia.

Current agenda 1. Welcome 2. Apologies 3. Minutes of Previous AGM 4. Business arising from the minutes 5. Motions on notice

Time:

Date: Venue:

Light meal for members at 5:30 pm, followed by AGM at 6:00 pm Wednesday, 2 June 2010 Education Development Centre, Hindmarsh

6. State report 7. Federal report 8. Treasurer’s report 9. Election: internal auditors 10. Election: external auditor

Motions must be submitted to Glen Seidel, Secretary, by COB Tuesday, 20 April 2010, either by email to gseidel@ieusa.org.au, or by post to 213 Currie Street, Adelaide SA 5000.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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State funding crisis Michael Honey Principal, Star of the Sea School Before we begin, you may be surprised to know that I am not a member of the IEU. Worse still, I am a member of the Catholic Employers Negotiating Team currently bargaining with the union to arrive at a new enterprise agreement.

the highest fees in Australia. We all strive for parity with interstate workers – we certainly work just as hard. This seems such a natural right, but the reality in South Australia is much tougher. Every battle to win a new condition is harder fought; every ‘natural right’ comes at a greater cost.

So what is a member of the dark side doing writing for a union publication? The opportunity arose during bargaining discussions, and I have always believed that in any negotiation all sides should be fully informed of all the impacting factors.

Being at the extreme low of the funding scale brings extreme consequences, which are borne by families paying the highest fees in Australia, by workers fighting for very ‘natural right’, and by employers fighting to maintain standards eroded by the meanest funding in Australia.

One of those factors is the current extreme funding position which faces Catholic schools in South Australia.

I can truly say that we are the lowest funded Catholic sector in Australia. Irrespective of your bargaining persuasion, everyone who works in our sector – Catholic or independent – needs to be deeply concerned for our children and our families.

A mature employer-union relationship must be cognisant of the current funding for its sector. It is for this reason that I am delighted to have been asked to write for this publication. While I am more qualified to speak on behalf of my own system, I am very aware that workers in the non-government school sector generally suffer the same extreme funding conditions.

These times are tough on us all. Unions negotiate knowing we have the lowest funding in Australia and the least capacity to deliver the best outcomes for members.

Employers know that parents are fully stretched, paying

All bargaining aside, if you are at all unsure of just how unfairly you are being funded, the following figures will surely convince you. Let me start with the very latest figures from the National Report on Schooling 2008 (Table 1).

Table 1: State government funding to Catholic schools now the lowest in Australia (2008 National Report on Schooling) Recurrent funding per capita

VIC

NSW

QLD

WA

SA

TAS

NT

ACT

AUS AVG

State government grants

$1,694

$2,176

$2,248

$2,203

$1,634

$1,867

$2,685

$1,707

$2,012

Private income (fees, fundraising)

$2,948

$3,196

$2,924

$2,712

$3,648

$2,656

$2,385

$3,584

$3,059

Source: State Election Submission from SACCS to Political Parties in SA

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EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Note not just the low funding, but what a penalty our parents carry. We pay the highest fees, too! Ouch!

We simply can not ask our parents for any more.

The following tables indicate the decline in non-government school funding over the previous two election cycles.

Table 2: State grants per capita to non-government schools – South Australian and Australian average

2002

South Australia

Australian Average

Difference

SA as % of Australian Average

$1196

$1329

$133

90.0%

2003

$1276

$1393

$117

91.6%

2004

$1289

$1475

$186

87.4%

2005

$1320

$1583

$263

83.4%

2006

$1434

$1682

$248

85.3%

2007

$1491

$1779

$288

83.8%

Source: State Election Submission from SACCS to Political Parties in SA

Table 3: State grant per capita to non-government schools as a percentage of recurrent expenditure in government schools South Australia

Australia

2002

12.7%

13.8%

2007

12.6%

15.0%

Source: State Election Submission from SACCS to Political Parties in SA

We are clearly trending downward and falling further out of kilter with the other states. If this does not convince you, then look at the next inequality. Capital funding for non-government schools across Australia is in the tens of millions.

Table 4: Capital funding for non-government schools across Australia State

Level of capital support to non-government schools sector

NSW

$191.18 per student per year

QLD

$239.34 per student per year

WA

$25 million each year as a low-interest loan scheme

VIC

$53.5 million over 2 years

SA

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South Australia receives nothing! There has been no capital funding since 2006! It’s therefore hardly surprising that South Australian Catholic schools carry more per capita debt than any others in Australia, and debt repayments only put further pressure on school resources.

In all of this, as teachers and workers in schools, tell me what kind of report would you give this kind of funding on an A-E basis? To my mind, there is only one answer. So it may surprise you that we are asking for C-grade funding.

We are asking that our children and employees receive the average of that received by those interstate, because that would be a significant improvement. This is a very considered and reasonable position.

My friends, which ever side of the bargaining table you sit, it is time to pause and fight for what is just and right. Let us all stand together, shoulder to shoulder, and say, “Enough of this extreme funding. We deserve to be average.”

Has it really come to that? Asking to be average? I’m afraid so. Let’s hope that at this election we see all parties move to rectify this extreme position. The wellbeing of the non-government school sector depends on fair funding.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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Modern awards are irrelevant for most Glen Seidel Secretary With the new year came the new National Employment Standards (NES) and a national system of ‘modern awards’, including the Educational Services (Teachers) Award 2010 for teachers and the Educational Services (Schools) General Staff Award 2010 for ESOs. Working to very tight timeframes, the Australian Industrial Relations Commission (AIRC) replaced a plethora of state awards with national awards for all major occupational groups. However, because this process required employers and unions to present agreed positions to the AIRC, leaving the AIRC to make its own determinations on many controversial aspects, the resulting awards are a compromise and generally not as beneficial to employees as the previous state awards.

Furthermore, the modern awards act only as a safety net for employees with no collective enterprise agreement. Unlike previous state awards, which formed the basis of enterprise agreements, giving employees the benefits of both, modern award conditions only apply when they are specifically included in an agreement. Otherwise, an enterprise agreement will automatically trump a modern award.

In SA, modern awards will not apply to: • state government school employees as they are not in the federal system • Catholic school employees who are covered by an expired state agreement • Lutheran school employees covered by a current agreement • any employee in an independent school with a state or federal agreement, even if that agreement is past its nominal expiry date • schools operating on a current memorandum of understanding which augments an expired agreement, or • schools where salaries have been unilaterally increased over rates in an expired agreement.

There are a few schools which, for one reason or another, have never negotiated a formal enterprise agreement, and for which modern awards may therefore be applicable.

Generally, this is due to a lack of unionisation or activism.

Indeed, the irony of the modernisation process is that the IEU put so much effort into protecting the safety-net conditions of people who are unlikely to be members.

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Some employers are anxious to have staff believe that the new awards and their pared-back, lowest-commondenominator conditions apply, but this will very rarely be true. The modern awards’ most practical application is as something against which to measure agreements in the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT). Agreements should easily come out on top if members base their negotiations on conditions in current agreements and in the state awards.

Indeed, ensuring existing award conditions are incorporated into the next round of collective enterprise agreements will be technically demanding. But to simply attach the modern awards risks forfeiting conditions we have worked under for decades, so the IEU will work with members in branches to ensure that conditions are not lost in the next bargaining round. Members should not agree to agreement structures and approaches, no matter how superficially rational they appear, without checking with their school’s organiser.

We must negotiate from the set of conditions we have now (as codified in agreements and state awards) and there is no reason to negotiate from an inferior position based on modern awards. Members would not be happy accepting modern teacher award pay rates of $53,493 instead of market rates of $80,000. There is no reason to accept the other conditions simply because they are ‘modern’.

Unlike the modern awards, however, the National Employment Standards cannot be undercut even on one aspect. There is no BOOT and the NES have to be met line by line. Some of our current awards and agreements contain conditions which are inferior to the NES. For example, new agreements will need to update inferior ESO redundancy rates and restrictions on carers’ leave.

There are many complex new technical requirements on agreement-making under the Fair Work Act 2009, and negotiators will be well-advised to call upon the expertise available to them as union members. Where the IEU has even one member, it has the right to be at the negotiating table as a bargaining agent. The more members in the branch, the more resources we can apply in negotiating the best outcomes for members. Density and activism equalise power imbalances at the table. The employers have their unions, too – CESA, LSA and AISSA – so don’t be outgunned: get your colleagues to join theirs.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Keeping it out there Bruno Sartoretto Organiser The IEU is aware that contact with beginning teachers and newcomers to the independent education sector is vital to keeping the union message alive. Several times a year the IEU speaks to graduating university students about the benefits of belonging to a professional and industrial organisation like the IEU. Though not all graduates take up the offer of free membership, a large group do, gaining instant access to a range of services that will smooth the transition from study to work.

a valuable, light read for beginning teachers and usually made available at information sessions for graduates and beginning teachers.

IEU officers often assist graduates with critiques of job applications prior to submission, offering advice on layout and presentation, spelling and grammar.* Information sessions, too, such as Meet the Principal, provide valuable advice and interaction with principals on applying for teaching jobs.

Unfortunately, however, school assistants, maintenance staff and other non-teaching staff often slip through the net when joining the sector. Many confess that they were solid union members or even union delegates at previous workplaces, and often say that they have heard about the good work done by the IEU. Yet, when asked to join, they are non-committal. Teachers appreciate the valuable contribution these employees make to any school and willingly go into bat for them on issues. But there is often a perception in schools that the IEU is a union just for teachers, which is simply incorrect. IEU officers are available to assist members, whatever their role.

IEU membership holds many benefits for beginning teachers, too. In addition to half-price fees, beginning teachers have access to sessions like Know your EA, scheduled for mid-year, through which participants will be introduced to the EA applicable to their school or system.

When starting a new job and career, awards and enterprise agreements are often low on the must-read list, but understanding one’s rights in the workplace is essential, and a mid-year refresher usually raises important questions and clarifies misunderstandings.

IEU officers endeavour to contact all new employees in non-government schools, but often the best exponent in the workplace of the benefits of becoming a union member is another union member. Each member’s unique story is a valuable part of local union history. So, next time you visit the staffroom and see that new teacher or school assistant sitting there, ask them if they know of the IEU and tell your story. Point out the IEU rep and hand them a copy of EdU. Somewhere down the track they will be thankful that the conversation took place and that they did join the IEU.

The IEU also offers free copies of useful publications to its members, such as Teachers, students and the law: A quick reference guide for Australian teachers by Drew Hopkins,

*

The IEU wishes to make it clear that at no time does it provide any representation on behalf of the applicant, nor does it have any influence on the recipient, and cannot be held responsible for the outcome of the application.

Joe Van der Katt and the Great Picket Fence

Book Review Louise Firrell

This little picture book is full of puns. The cats of Litterbox, a Dutch town in the Catskill Mountains, are a very poor working class lot. Their main employer is J Paul Kitty, whose factory produces cats’ cradles.

Not only does J Paul Kitty underpay and overwork his workers, but he has a monopoly of the retail outlets in town where the workers and their families have to shop.

Things get progressively worse for his downtrodden factory cats until finally, with a stroke of genius, the cats turn the tables with some collective action and the construction of the ‘great picket fence’. They are so successful that their victory is celebrated from then on in the town as Lay-Purr Day! This is a delightful ‘read aloud’ book for younger readers (and bigger ones as well). The illustrations are amusing and naïve, and the Dutch words add another layer of interest to the ‘tail’.

by Peter J Welling Pelican Publishing, Gretna, 2005 EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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School reporting and MySchool Problem More work is urgently needed to ensure that the information available to parents through the MySchool website assists rather than misleads.

Parents have a natural interest in obtaining as much information as they can about schools, and the IEUA and its members have long supported and worked for greater transparency.

At the moment, there are some very real problems with the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority’s (ACARA) MySchool website. The Federal Executive of the IEUA met on Friday, 26 February, in Melbourne and endorsed a number of recommendations that it seeks to present to ACARA as soon as possible.

With further additions proposed to the website, it is critical that the opportunity is taken to respond to concerns and inadequacies of its current format. The IEUA maintains that the NAPLAN results present a snapshot of an important but nevertheless very narrow range of learning.

It will be very important to ensure that teachers’ commitment to continuous improvement of our children’s literacy and numeracy skills is supported, and not at the expense of the other important learning opportunities that children currently experience at school.

Resolution The motions moved at the 26 February meeting were: That Executive notes with concern the publication of league tables in both the print and electronic media following the launch of the MySchool website

by ACARA.

Chris Watt Federal Secretary, IEU Australia

The Executive condemns the behaviour of those in the media who have sought to misuse the MySchool data for sensationalist, opportunistic reporting.

The Executive also notes with disappointment the particular focus placed on independent schools in particular by both the Chair of ACARA and the media.

The Executive remains concerned about the quality and presentation of student data on the MySchool website, the validity of the ICSEA as an identifier of like schools, and the nonsensical grouping of many schools in the ‘Like Schools’ website listings.

Accordingly, the Executive calls on ACARA to immediately undertake a formal review of the MySchool website including an examination of the ICSEA. The Executive requests that: • the current ‘Like Schools’ comparisons be removed until further validation of ICSEA • following a review of the ICSEA proxy, that the Index be used as a point of comparison rather than a ‘sorting’ mechanism • reporting of students’ average scores be replaced with a graphical representation of relative performance or an alternative proxy such as percentage achievement above minimum benchmarks, and • schools with less than 15 students in the NAPLAN cohort not have student data reported in any comparative measures.

The Executive calls on ACARA to negotiate with the IEUA on the appropriateness and development of appropriate protocols for the collection and reporting of school information in relation the ‘value-added’ results, school resourcing data and any proposed ‘satisfaction’ survey.

World’s McDonald’s workers now have online forum Ever heard the term mcjob? It’s a term commonly used in the fast food industry to describe what LabourStart calls ‘a low-paying, low-prestige job that requires few skills and offers very little chance of intracompany advancement’.

Of course, McDonald’s frowns upon the term, and even bought the domain name mcjobs.com to prevent it being used disparagingly. They neglected to buy mcjobs.org, however. Instead, that went to the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and

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Allied Workers’ Associations (or the IUF for short), together with LabourStart, who recently launched mcjobs.org as an online forum for McDonald’s workers worldwide.

McDonald’s employees from Australia to Azerbaijan and everywhere in between can now share their experiences of working in the fast food chain, and receive updates on activity by the IUF and its many affiliated trade unions.

So if you know someone in a mcjob, direct them to www.mcjobs.org.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Fiji: Repressive one day, outrageous the next Glen Seidel Secretary Commodore Frank Bainamarama continues to rule Fiji with an iron fist and by unilateral decree rather than parliamentary law, suppressing all opposition through tight controls on the media and public gatherings, and the expulsion of dissenting foreigners.

Furthermore, a new action intended to trim the public service is bearing serious implications for the nation’s education system.

By a May 2009 decree, the retirement age for all public servants, including teachers, was reduced from 60 to 55, meaning about 3,000 teachers (10% of the teaching force) would retire on their 55th birthdays. On average, this meant a loss of two to eight teachers per school. Teachers are not permitted to work to the end of the school year or term and must retire on the date of their birthdays, thus leaving classes without teachers mid-term. Composite classes have been the means of addressing the issue; however, this is only fractionally less detrimental to the quality of teaching and learning. In some remote island schools, one teacher will be responsible for up to five classes. Three hundred final-year trainee teachers have been rushed into service and non-education university graduates are even being recruited to address the shortfall.

Leadership in schools, too, has been significantly affected because most of the retirees are principals, head teachers and department heads. Band-aid approaches like fast-tracking the promotion of unqualified or inexperienced staff will probably only worsen the problem.

2. (1) …the Prime Minister may, by notice in writing, order the cessation of any allowance, salary, pension, gratuity or any other benefit or entitlement under...[various]…the Pensions Act 1983 or any related law on pensions if the Prime Minister is satisfied that the person has, in any way, whether in Fiji or abroad and whether before or after the commencement of this decree, acted or attempted to a) bring hatred or contempt or disaffection against the Government of the Republic of Fiji, or any institution or authority of the Government; or b) undermine the Government of the Republic of Fiji, or any institution or authority of the Government, or, in any way, to prejudice the orderly functioning or operation of the Government or any institution or authority of the Government.

4. No court, tribunal, commission or any other adjudicating body shall have the jurisdiction to accept, hear, determine or in any way entertain, any challenges whatsoever (including any application for judicial review) by any person or body, or to grant any remedy to any person or body, in relation to the validity, legality or propriety of any action, decision or order of the Prime Minister under this decree.

The IEUA executive considers Decree 56 a direct attack on the human rights of Fijian citizens and strikes at the most vulnerable of citizens, the aged. The IEUA will be raising its concerns with the Australian Government and calling upon it to enter into urgent discussions with the Fijian Government.

One would expect that, in a democratic society, citizens would have the right to voice their criticisms of the government’s handling of matters as important as education; particularly citizens who would know what they were talking about. (Though, in Australia, often the most vocal in the education debate are the most ignorant, but that must wait for another article.) But to prevent any dissent from retired teachers and other pubic servants, a Regulation of Pensions and Retirement Allowances Decree 2009 (Decree 56 of 2009) was proclaimed on 31 December 2009, which enables the Prime Minister to order the cessation of any government pension to anyone expressing ‘disaffection’ toward the government. And what’s more, the order can be enforced retrospectively and is unappealable.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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Absolutely Super:

Active vs. passive investment management styles Bernard O’Connor NGS Super

Have you ever been perplexed by the world of finance and the differing philosophies of professional investment mangers? Do you know how your superannuation fund invests your money?

Do you have a personal investment bias or belief?

Two basic schools of thought regarding investment are active and passive management styles.

An active approach to asset management means that the portfolio managers change the portfolio allocation to asset sectors which are identified as having the best potential returns based on current research. This requires constant monitoring and research to determine factors likely to affect investment returns. An active manager will select individual stocks held in the portfolio on the basis of financial analysis, industry analysis, discounted cash-flow analysis and will actively alter the mix of stocks held in line with their changing opinion of market prospects. Inherent in this philosophy is a belief in the ability to add value and outperform ‘the market’ by deviating from benchmark replication. This means that active managers look to identify shares that may be undervalued and take advantage of opportunities such as selling when share prices are high and buying when prices are low. Since quality research is necessary to make informed decisions about the relative value of companies and sectors, active managers tend to charge higher fees for their skills and expertise.

Passive management relies on the belief that markets are efficient and that managers are not able to consistently outperform an index return. So the passive manager of an Australian share fund will simply weigh the portfolio by matching the stocks held in a desired index, such as the S&P ASX 300, in the same proportion as the index. In short, the passive manager ‘parks’ the investment in the hope of achieving the same return as the overall index. Investment managers who adopt a passive approach believe that any potential gains made from active management are offset by the increased costs of research and transaction costs.

Since passive managers use the benchmark indices as a guide, no research is required so the fees are lower than for active managers.

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NGS Super employs active managers in the belief that it is possible to outperform the index and its competitors by using managers who have superior skills in choosing where to invest the portfolio and when to move investments. As a result, the NGS Australian Shares Option has been able to outperform the S&P/ASX 300 over one-, three- and fiveyear periods to 30 November, 2009. The one-year return for the NGS Australian Shares Option to 30 November, 2009, was 42.08%, compared to a return of 32.51% for the S&P ASX 300 index for the same period. An outperformance of 9.57% for the one-year period represents significant value added to members’ accounts as a direct result of the skills of the active managers used by the fund. The additional charge for active management in this case has proven to be excellent value for members because of the excess return on the investment. Over a five-year period to November 30, 2009, NGS Super has been rated fifth out of forty-eight of the largest super funds in Australia by SuperRatings, an independent rating agency. This consistent result in outperforming the benchmark over a five-year period demonstrates that active investment can generate excess returns and that the extra premium paid to active managers has been well worthwhile.

Investment managers play an integral role in Australia’s superannuation system and their fees, to a large extent, represent the costs incurred in ultimately selecting appropriate investments. Investment management fees should be always viewed in line with investment returns.

Even in a declining market, an investment manager who outperforms the index has saved members’ money because the loss is not as great as the index loss.

2010 will undoubtedly prove to be an interesting year for investing after the shock of two previous years of global financial crisis. Let’s hope a big ray of sunshine clears away the cloud which produced the worst negative return since the inception of compulsory superannuation in Australia.

And happy investing!

(Disclaimer: 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 and consider seeking independent advice from a licensed or appropriately authorised financial advisor.)

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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2010 Reps’ Organising Conference

Around 90 IEU(SA) reps and delegates from across the state met in the Phar Lap Room at Allan Scott Park to discuss the major issues affecting union organising in 2010, as well as to meet their organisers and discuss issues particular to their sectors.

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EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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12 1. Veena Gollan welcomes reps onto Kuarna land.

2. IEU(SA) president Marg Sansom welcomes reps to the conference.

3. Sharon Doris presents a session on workload burnout.

4. Tea break overlooking the track.

5. Reps workshopping.

6. Reps Kay Richardson, Priscilla Tyler, Anna Gerow and Petrea Booth with president Marg Sansom.

7. Reps Maryke Russell, Anita Pahl, Veronica Cox and Zoe Littlewood.

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8. Reps Colleen McEwen, Anthony Haskell, Steven Passey and Stephanie Hansen.

9. Rep John Cardew of Marcellin Technical College.

10. Veena Gollan and rep Simon Kelly.

11. IEU(SA) secretary Glen Seidel addressing reps in a workshop.

12. IEU(SA) secretary Glen Seidel and presenter Carol Matthews of IEU NSW/ACT. 13. APHEDA raffle winners.

14. APHEDA raffle winner.

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EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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2010 Reps’ Organising Conference Gerry Conley OHS Project Officer

A shift to Monday, to February, and a new venue for the annual reps’ and delegates’ conference proved successful when 86 turned up at Allan Scott Park on Monday 22 February – one of the best attendances in recent years.

In keeping with the new title, the Reps’ Organising Conference program focussed on current industrial and health and safety issues, and also looked at how reps and delegates could build the union through increased membership in schools.

Veena Gollan, from Catholic Education’s Indigenous Worker’s Unit, began the day by welcoming us to country, and then IEU president Marg Sansom opened the conference and introduced participants to the day’s program.

The first session was a workshop on workload burnout, facilitated by Sharon Doris of SA Unions’ OHS Training Centre. Beginning with a definition of workload burnout, Sharon led discussion about the individual and organisational signs and symptoms, the effects at personal and organisational levels, and the numerous causes and contributing factors, before providing sound advice on the most effective ways to recognise, manage and ultimately prevent burnout from being the major health issue it has become in many workplaces. Sharon explained how it is possible to control burnout using a risk management model, which participants applied to potential instances in their schools. All of which made for a very interactive session and an energising start to the day.

During the morning break, staff from Teachers Health, Members Equity and NGS Super were again on hand to explain what their organisations can offer, and members were invited to visit their display tables. Participants then separated into two groups for the next session; one for AIS and Lutheran reps, the other for Catholic reps.

We were fortunate to have Carol Matthews from the NSW/ACT branch of the IEU to address AIS and Lutheran reps on three-band agreements in independent schools.

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First introduced in 2007, three-band agreements are in place in approximately 100 independent schools in NSW, including many of the larger schools, and are likely to be introduced in some schools here in the next round of collective agreement bargaining. Carol described the standards-based approach used in them, the accreditation process, and the part the IEU has played in negotiating agreements providing a minimum increase of 19% over four years.

Catholic reps met with secretary Glen Seidel and organisers Frank Bernardi and Anne Edwards to discuss the negotiations surrounding their enterprise agreement.

This was particularly timely given that negotiations had recommenced on the previous Friday, and reps received up-to-date advice on pay modelling before authorising the negotiating team to raise a number of claims with the employer on pay and conditions.

Prior to the lunch break, both groups were given a briefing on how to complete their school checklist, and Bruno Sartoretto provided an overview of IEU’s website to the AIS and Lutheran group.

For the afternoon session, reps broke into small group workshops on building the union in the workplace through a range of recruitment techniques. Groups discussed the barriers they had experienced when asking non-members to join, were provided with some case studies to examine, and then considered what would work as the most effective approaches to increasing union membership in their schools.

The conference ended with the drawing of the door prizes donated by sponsors NGS Super and Members Equity, and the APHEDA raffle. Secretary Glen Seidel then closed what had been a very informative and practical day.

Feedback received and discussions had since the conference have been very supportive of the new timing, and the high level of participation and networking suggests the day was a success. We hope to see all those who came this year back again next year and look forward to many new faces, too.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Probation should not be purgatory!

Wendy Evans Organiser Recently, it became apparent during the investigation of a workers’ compensation claim that the school concerned may have abused the probationary process.

The member, in accordance with the award, had been told that she was to be on six months’ probation.

However, at the end of that period, she was called to an ‘appraisal’ meeting, where she was told her performance was not up to scratch and asked to agree to an extension to her probation.

The member had not been made aware during the probationary period that the school had any issues with her performance. In fact, feedback received during the brief interactions she did have with her supervisor indicated that she was doing a great job. Students loved her teaching and behaviour management was not an issue.

The Teachers Non-Government Schools Award states: 4.2.1.8.2 During the probationary period of the first two school terms the employee will receive induction and other professional assistance as is deemed necessary by the employer.

4.2.1.8.3 During the probationary period an employee who is deemed by the employer to be unsatisfactory is to be advised accordingly in writing and counselled.

Note that the award refers to ‘during’ the probationary period, not at the end, and not, as happened in this case, at the beginning of a term break. And certainly not when the employee was so distressed that she signed the extension of the probation in order to simply escape from the meeting.

Schools are no different to other workplaces; they are businesses and they make business decisions. The problem that IEU organisers experience in dealing with schools, however, is that people in management positions have usually come out of a classroom and generally do not have specific training in industrial relations or human resource management. When they get it wrong, good teachers and support staff suffer much more than they should.

There are some steps that you can take to protect yourself when moving to a new school. Of course, belonging to the IEU is essential, but I know I’m talking to the converted.

Other steps involve asking questions in and outside of the job interview.

Do background checks on the school. After all, they will do checks on you. Check with colleagues who may have worked at the school, and with staff who are currently working with the school. Ask what staff turnover is like.

Have staff left? Why did they leave?

Google the school. Look at annual reports, newsletters, magazines, prospectuses, Facebook pages and websites.

Drive past during school hours and weekends to get a feel for the atmosphere of the community and its facilities.

Call the IEU for an informal chat about our experiences with the school.

At the interview, ask specifically about the probation period and the induction process. If you are successful, then ask for the specifics: who will your mentor be? What regular contact will you have? How will you be judged at the end of the probationary period?

The probationary period should be an opportunity for the employer and employee alike to define and refine expectations. Used appropriately, it can identify issues and gaps in employee performance in a supportive and pastoral environment before bad or culturally inappropriate habits become ingrained. It must not be used by the employer as an ongoing interview period or opportunity to employ someone for six to twelve months, then discard them with legal impunity.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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OHS Project Gerry Conley A health and safety OHS Project Officer representative is not a health and safety officer At the IEU(SA) Reps’ Organising Conference held on 22 February, SA Unions’ Sharon Doris hosted an excellent workshop on the dangers of workload burnout, but discussion did digress to a separate but equally important issue: what’s the difference between a health and safety officer and a health and safety representative?

In discussing how to address workload burnout, reps and delegates shared information about the signs and symptoms, causes, and contributing factors of this major health and safety issue. There was general agreement that, while there are tools available to help us cope personally with workload burnout, school management must recognise the serious physical and psychological health problems that can arise from demanding workloads, and consult with staff to manage the risk, if efforts are to be effective.

Sharon then explained the role that health and safety representatives (HSRs) can play in ensuring school management takes on the prime responsibility for preventing workload burnout. And from the feedback received, it seems many IEU reps were keen to elect HSRs in their workplaces as soon as possible.

Some questions raised by reps at the conference, however, highlighted the need to clarify the difference between the role of a health and safety representative and that of a health and safety officer or coordinator. The representative is elected or selected by the staff of the school to represent their health and safety interests. The titles officer and coordinator usually denote a staff member appointed by school management to ‘manage’ health and safety.

Or, in other words, to ensure that management is meeting its obligations to provide a healthy and safe workplace.

The officer or coordinator will normally be delegated to address problems that may arise, but answers to management, not to staff. So, if the coordinator or school management do not recognise an issue, or consider an issue such as workload burnout to be a problem, then it may not be appropriately addressed.

The HSR’s powers are detailed in the OHS&W Act, as are the management’s responsibilities towards the HSR, including the responsibility to consult the HSR on health and safety issues. And the OHS&W Regulations define what consultation on a health and safety issue means: For the purposes of this regulation, consultation involves the sharing of information and the exchange of views between employers and the persons or bodies (HSRs and H&S Committees) that must be consulted and the genuine opportunity for them to contribute effectively to any decision-making process to eliminate or control risks to health or safety.

If, in our workload burnout example, school management introduced an increase in the cap of hours for co-curricular activities that teachers must undertake during a semester, and staff were concerned that the additional time could lead to increased health problems, then through the HSR they could request that proper consultation occur as required by this regulation. If school management persisted in introducing their proposal without due consultation, then it would be in breach of the legislation and the HSR could issue a default notice.

So there is a clear difference in the role of a HSR and that of an officer or coordinator, and the latter does not have the legislated powers that the HSR has. In many workplaces, the two positions complement each other, with the HSR and the coordinator working together to maintain a safe and healthy working environment.

A recent report from the Productivity Commission issued in January, Performance Benchmarking of Australian Business Regulation: Occupational Health and Safety, found that with regard to consultation, research generally supports the proposition that joint arrangements involving employee representatives drive better workplace health and safety.

If you need more information on electing a HSR, contact me at gerryc@ieusa.org.au.

The HSR, on the other hand, does not have any delegated responsibilities from management and cannot be given any.

HSRs represent the views of staff and have a right to raise issues with management, a right to request and receive information from management, and a right to be consulted on any issue that they or the staff consider a risk to health and safety. A properly elected and trained HSR also has the legislative right to issue a default or ‘stop-work’ notice should management not make sufficient efforts to address an issue. A management-appointed health and safety officer has neither the right nor the motivation to take such steps on behalf of staff.

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EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Great Labor Quotations

Book Review Glen Seidel

For Great Labor Quotations, published by Red Eye Reference, author Peter Bollen has compiled nearly 300 pages of biographies, quotes and the odd cartoon, predominantly from American activists. The issues cited relate generally to the American situation, of course, but there are some real gems.

No issue can be negotiated unless you have the clout to compel negotiation.

Saul Alinsky Effective labor unions are still by far the most powerful force in society for the protection of the laborers rights and the improvement of his or her condition. No amount of employer benevolence, no diffusion of a sympathetic attitude on the part of the public, no increase in beneficial legislation, can adequately supply for the lack of organisation among the workers themselves.

Monsignor John A Ryan in Organised Labor and the Church (1993) Negotiations are a euphemism for capitulation if the shadow of power is not cast across the bargaining table.

George Schultz If you are not fired with enthusiasm, you’ll be fired with enthusiasm.

Vince Lombardi Ask not whether a man is useful in his work but whether the work is useful to man.

Pope John Paul II Choose a job you like and you will never have to work a day in your life.

Confucius When a man tells you he got rich by hard work, ask him whose.

Donald R P Marquis If work were such a marvelous thing, surely the rich would have kept it all to themselves.

Lane Joseph Kirkland It is true hard work never killed anybody, but I figure, why take the chance?

Ronald Reagan (1987) No race will prosper until it learns there is as much dignity in tilling a field as in writing a poem.

Booker Washington (1895) Hard work is damn near as overrated as monogamy.

Huey Long

by Peter Bollen Red Eye Press, Los Angeles, 2000 Take not from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned.

Thomas Jefferson (1801) If you want to enrich the job, enrich the paycheck.

William Winpisinger If a man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar.

Abraham Lincoln Show me a country that has no strikes and I will show you a country in which there is no liberty.

Samuel Gompers (1925) The establishment can stand being screwed, but not being laughed at.

Saul Alinsky You can’t have solidarity with sheep.

Anon It is not the employer who pays the wages – he only handles the money. It is the product that pays the wages.

Henry Ford

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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What’s your problem...? an interactive column

If you have a question about your employment conditions that requires a prompt response, call the office and ask to speak to the duty officer of the day. If it is something that is not urgent, or you think that may be generally relevant to other members, send an email to dorothy@ieusa.org.au Identify yourself by name or membership number and any queries that are not selected for publication will be responded to personally.

Union membership and the management hat

Q.

I have been a member of ANGEE and the IEU(SA) for many years and I firmly believe that an active wellsupported union is an important part of any workplace. Over the years, I have climbed the slippery pole to now occupy a mid-level management position, and I think I do a good job.

Recently, I have received overt and subtle messages from above and around me that it is not appropriate for me to belong to the IEU, as I am now in a ’leadership’ role, but I have normally dismissed these suggestions as being unnecessarily defensive and paranoid. However, the other day I found myself in a low-level dispute with a member of my team and was a bit surprised to have an organiser from my union supporting the attack against me. Is it time to recognise that I have crossed to the employer’s side and that the union is no longer relevant for me?

Hedley

A.

Your situation is common, as many of our longer term members by now have become coordinators, deputies or principals. On the one hand, you are definitely an employee with all of the potential industrial and professional issues of any other employee. One could even argue that your needs are greater as you have further to fall if the wheels were to fall off your career.

Even where there is no power differential, the IEU handles grievances between members as a matter of process. The aim of the process is to resolve underlying causes of tension and facilitate better professional relationships. If only it were that simple when strong emotions are involved.

It sometimes takes two different organisers to assist two members in dispute with each other.

Where there is a power differential between the two members it may be that the grievance arose when one was acting in a managerial role and the other as a subordinate. In that case we would expect that the local management structure and the IR expertise of the AIS or LSA or CESA would support the member wearing the management hat. The IEU would then support the member wearing the worker hat. Power equalized; let the process do its job.

Deputies and principals are most welcome as members of the IEU and we have a significant number. Our Victorian counterpart (VIEU) even has a dedicated organiser for its principals and deputies.

Our constitution has established a branch for principals and deputies which is separate from the local school branch. This group may not be included in the school’s collective enterprise agreement, but there is more to union membership than an EA. No employee is immune from disciplinary action and the IEU has supported principal and deputy members in unfair dismissals and other unpleasant situations.

Principals and deputies are also educators and our work at the TRB and other professional forums is for the benefit of all in the profession.

Hedley, I would encourage you to maintain your IEU membership with pride. Be aware of the sensitivities involved in wearing both an employer and employee hat, and encourage others to belong to and be active in our union. There is no irreconcilable tension in belonging.

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EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Votes for women!

Louise Firrell Organiser/Educator With another state election upon us, we are prompted to think about exercising our democratic right to vote and participating in the process. If we have children who have turned eighteen since the last election, we may be faced with giving them some serious encouragement to take the important step of enrolling to vote.

The struggle for universal suffrage in Australia has long slipped into the history books, but history often only records fragments of the stories or filters out selected versions.

Women at the beginning of the 20th century in the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere, literally fought for the right to vote in parliamentary elections and to be able to stand as candidates for a parliamentary seat.

Suffragists and suffragettes tried any means they could to publicise their cause and politicise the public. Many suffered greatly for the cause through imprisonment and hunger strikes. Muriel Matters was one of these intelligent, creative and persistent women who played a significant part in the movement in the United Kingdom, although she was born at Brompton in South Australia. Until recently, Muriel’s story was one that had not been told. Francis Bedford MP has spent a considerable amount of time piecing together this remarkable woman’s story and has founded the Muriel Matters Society to publicise and celebrate her remarkable contribution to the movement.

On 17 February, an event in Rundle Mall marked just over 100 years since the redoubtable Muriel made a hot-air balloon flight over London to drop leaflets on the King’s procession on its way to open parliament, demanding votes for women. This was a risky and sensational stunt for the times. This was not long after Muriel had chained herself to the grille on the ladies’ gallery of the House of Commons.

The grille had to be cut down with Muriel still attached to remove her from the House. (The grille was not replaced and it remains in the cellars of the building.)

A commemorative hanky was launched on the day and a play about Muriel’s life is to be performed at the Adelaide Town Hall on 17 June 2010. Muriel was an actress of some note before her involvement in the movement and afterwards trained with Maria Montessori in Italy and became a teacher for the remainder of her working life.

At this web address you can hear a recording of an interview with Muriel, made in 1939 in which she can be heard talking about the balloon flight. http://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/suffragettes/ 8315.shtml?all=2&id=8315

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APHEDA

Millennium development goals:

Fighting global poverty At the turn of the millennium, world leaders met at the United Nations in New York and pledged to halve global poverty by 2015. For the first time in history, all the nations in the world agreed to prioritise the fight against global poverty in a coordinated and cooperative manner. Eight basic goals were agreed upon, with 20 benchmarks to be achieved.

From 2000 until 2007, significant progress was made in some areas. For example, the number of children not in primary school dropped from 103 million in 1999 to 73 million in 2006. Also, the number of children who died before their fifth birthday dropped from 12 million a year in 2000 to 9 million a year in 2007. It was a mixed result, with many countries, especially in the Pacific and subSaharan Africa, not meeting their benchmarks. But by and large, progress was being made.

The Global Economic Crisis of 2007-2008, however, was a significant obstacle to the progress underway. It also clearly demonstrated that while there were millions of dollars available to fight global poverty, there were thousands of billions of dollars available to save the world’s banking system. Banks had priority over the poor.

The Millennium Development Goals are:

• Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS. • Achieve, by 2010, universal access to treatment for HIV/AIDS for all those who need it.

• Have halted by 2015 and begun to reverse the incidence of malaria and other major diseases.

Ensure environmental sustainability • Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources.

• Reduce biodiversity loss, achieving, by 2010, a significant reduction in the rate of loss.

• Halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

• Have achieved by 2020 a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers.

Develop a global partnership for development

Eradicate extreme hunger and poverty

• Address the special needs of least developed countries, landlocked countries and small island developing states.

• Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day.

• Develop further an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system.

• Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people.

• Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Achieve universal primary education • Ensure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Promote gender equality and empower women • Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education no later than 2015.

Reduce child mortality • Reduce by two-thirds, between 1990 and 2015, the under-five mortality rate.

Improve maternal health • Reduce by three-quarters, between 1990 and 2015, the maternal mortality ratio.

• Achieve universal access to reproductive health.

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Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

• Deal comprehensively with developing countries’ debt.

• In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable essential drugs in developing countries.

• In cooperation with the private sector, make available benefits of new technologies, especially information and communications.

The challenges ahead Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia are home to threequarters of the world’s poor. These regions are struggling to get children into school. East Asia has experienced the most rapid poverty reduction, driven by rapid and sustained growth, notably in China. However, inequalities have arisen, and pockets of extreme poverty persist throughout this region.

In the Asia Pacific region, more than three million people are living in extreme poverty and as many as one million children are not in school. Poverty is concentrated in Kiribati, PNG, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. As the largest donor country in this region, Australia has a special responsibility to assist developing countries.

The Rudd government has committed to increasing Australia’s aid to 0.5% of Gross National Income (GNI) by 2015. More and better assistance will be provided to lagging regions, including a re-engagement in Africa and an elevated engagement in the Pacific.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

Source: Global Monitoring Report 2008

Decent work

Beyond 2015 there will be more to do

MDG 1, Point 2, is ‘Achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all, including women and young people.’ Decent work means work that is paid a fair and just wage, work that is safe, work that is permanent.

It is work where the ILO’s Core Labour Standards are respected, especially allowing workers to organise together into independent, democratic trade unions, and to bargain collectively for wages and conditions. When working women and men are paid a just wage, they can afford to educate their children, ensure they are well fed and their health needs are met. In turn, many other MDG goals are automatically realised.

Fulfilling the MDGs is both important and achievable, but it would still leave a large agenda. Reducing by half the proportion of people who suffer from hunger would be a remarkable achievement, but • it is estimated that more than 600 million people would still be living in extreme poverty, mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia • there will still be huge gaps in the quality of education and challenges in access to early learning and secondary education opportunities. Gaps would also persist in child and maternal health, and • climate change will continue to loom large as a threat to long-term development globally.

Philippines – A young girl collects rubbish at a Manila Rubbish Dump to sell to recyclers (January 2008)

Key facts on the MDGs:

Formidable challenges ahead:

Significant progress since the 1990s:

• 1 billion people in extreme poverty

• 280 million fewer people living in extreme poverty • 40 million more children in school • 3 million more children survive each year • 2 million people now receive HIV/AIDS treatment

• 75 million children not in school • 9 million children die each year • 550,000 women die from treatable complications of pregnancy and birth • Over 33 million people infected with HIV/AIDS, 2 million die each year • Half of the developing world lacks sanitation

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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2010 IEU Rep Education Program The 2010 IEU Rep Education Program kicked off with the Reps’ Organising Conference on 22 February and will continue through Terms 1 and 2, and also through the school holidays to assist reps who find it difficult to get the time away from their work.

Introductory Reps Training For new reps and those who have yet to complete the modules for this course.

Modules How the union works The role of an IEU rep Organising in the workplace Dates Monday 22 March Friday 9 April Monday 3 May Monday 21 June Tuesday 6 July

Footpath Rory Harris the footpath’s chalked face string hair and a smile of a sideways moon almost the smudged

Continuing Reps Training For reps who have completed the introductory modules.

Tuesday 13 April Industrial and other workplace-related legislation Monday 10 May Building union visibility Friday 18 June Representing members and resolving workplace problems Tuesday 13 July Workplace bullying All courses are held between 9.30am and 4pm at the IEU office, 213 Currie Street, Adelaide.

Please register your attendance by email to register@ieusa.org.au or on 8410 0122.

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EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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ESO profile:

Marlene Maney, Cardijn College

What do you find most challenging in your role?

Having enough time to spend with students who are very unsure about their future, and let them properly consider their options, which today are many and varied. It can also be difficult to break down long-held stereotypes.

What is your role?

I’m the careers counsellor at Cardijn College, which is a co-educational secondary school of some 800-plus students in the Southern Vales area.

What is it about your role that you most enjoy?

Working with the students and going through the career testing process, which allows the students to more clearly understand and think about the things they enjoy. Students can begin to realise a career is a lifelong journey, which is much larger than just a job. Careers are made of many experiences which are both paid and unpaid, but all of which create a lifetime of employable skills. The current students are expected to have a minimum of 12 to 15, often very disparate career changes over their lifetime.

To determine suitable careers for students, we look at their

Students can also feel disengaged and unable to successfully complete their school work. Once they look more closely at the reasons it is necessary to complete Year 12 and relate this to their future, then success seems to follow. To see students successfully complete Year 12 and go on to either TAFE, university or a trade is a great affirmation. Also, students tend to undervalue their many out-of-school activities, which can be included in resumes and create highly valued transferable skills.

What type of PD have you undertaken lately?

In 2009, I received an Industry Placement Scholarship through DEEWR and worked with the City of Onkaparinga to discover the many career paths and opportunities there.

I literally worked at the council one day per week for a full term (generously supported by Cardijn College), plus several weeks in the holidays. This allowed me to interview workers in the various departments and gain a more in-depth view of their work.

As a result of this collaboration, I was able to produce a work experience guide, which will be used by Onkaparinga Council in the future.

• preferred working conditions (indoors, outdoors, day or evening)

What PD would you like to do in the future?

• preferred working location and preparedness to travel

I would like to attend training with Professor Jim Bright, who is a registered psychologist and a member of the National Career Development Association. As an Australian expert, he has very practical ideas about engaging with our young people.

• knowledge and what they enjoy learning about • preferred work-life balance and how they like to use their time • work values and what is important to them • aspirations • current and future skills, and • education, including future study plans.

Students begin to realise that, if they work in an area and environment they really enjoy, then they will be more fulfilled and happy in their chosen career path.

Has the IEU been able to help you in your role?

The union has assisted me by always promoting the needs of education support officers and ensuring PD opportunities are included in enterprise agreement negotiations. Together with this, the union recognises the many varied career paths and classifications attributable to non-teaching staff within the school environment.

EdU April 2010 IEU(SA)

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Balancing extra-curricular activity with life

Teacher Ms D Ominie confronts her principal over an all-too-common problem for members Dear Mr Don Abecedarian, Thanks for your letter in my pigeon hole last Friday.

However, I am bemused that you should write to me on the school’s letterhead in such a formal way. After all, we see each other every day as we move about the school and often over a cup of tea at breaks. None the less, I should respond in a similar vein.

I realise my request to absent myself from choir practice Friday afternoon this week means, as you pointed out, I will not fulfil my fifty hours of co-curricula for this semester. My reason for this surely merits some consideration and at least the courtesy of some face-toface discussion. My very best friend is flying off on Friday at 5.15pm to live in the USA, and chances are I will not see her again for a very long time. As we have been close buddies for over thirty years, I believe it is warranted that I am present, with our friends, at the airport when she flies out. This will be a cathartic time for us all as we have been close friends from our student days and whilst we were both bringing up families. As a committed family person yourself, you must realise what strong bonds are forged when families interact for such a time.

Surely you remember as you passed through the office photocopying room on Monday morning at recess time the comment you made to me as I was head-down busy photocopying, stapling and cueing music for that afternoon’s staff meeting. You said to me, “Are you preparing our talk on stress management for this afternoon?” I hope you remember, as I spent several hours on Sunday afternoon typing and researching suitable material. By the way, the staff meeting ran twenty minutes over, causing me to be late picking up Amos from his after-school care at some extra expense to me.

I would have done this work on Monday at lunch time, but I had an extra yard duty to cover because Jennifer was away and I also picked up her class in lesson four – my only free time for the day.

You may also not be aware that at hockey practice on Tuesday after school Mrs. Furphy was 25 minutes late picking up her Margaret. I should have sent her home in a cab, but I waited anyhow. I remember the trouble it caused the last time a staff member used a cab for such an occurrence. You were not impressed as we all found out, so I waited. Late home once again.

I also notice that we are to close our mark books for the end of term this Friday and reports are due on Monday.

Does the timetable allow for non-teaching lessons over the weekend?

Writing of the weekend, as I have a hockey match to attend for the school on Saturday morning (which should finish by 11.45), and family shopping on the way home in preparation for the family’s celebration of my mother’s birthday on Sunday, I don’t think I will be able to prepare cakes as you asked of staff for the morning tea called for the past student Senator who is visiting on Monday.

However, I digress. What still remains is that we perhaps should meet to discuss how best to resolve my Friday after-school dilemma. I am surprised that in a school the size of ours that you micro-manage such things.

If necessary I could meet with your nominated deputy.

I look forward to your response.

Regards, Ms D. Ominie

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