5 minute read
National education and union news
from June 2022 Western Teacher
by SSTUWA
AEU welcomes new education ministers
The Australian Education Union has welcomed Jason Clare as the new federal education minister, Brendan O’Connor to the skills and training portfolio and Anne Aly as early childhood education minister.
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“Public education is critically important to deliver Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s vision that no one is held back and no one is left behind,” AEU Federal President Coreena Haythorpe said.
“The AEU is looking forward to a strong and collaborative partnership with the incoming ministers on behalf of 198,000 members in preschools, schools and TAFE.
“In public schools, teachers, principals and education support staff work with children from all backgrounds to create a love of learning and share the foundational knowledge required for future life. We expect the new minister to lay out a clear timetable for the new government to fulfil their promise of fair and full funding for public schools and look forward to working together to deliver it.
“In preschools, early childhood teachers and education support personnel work with Australia’s youngest minds, setting them on course to thrive. We will advocate and work with the minister to expand universal access to preschool to two years for all Australian children.
“In TAFE, teachers prepare students with the skills and knowledge they need for work and develop the workers our economy needs to rebuild from the pandemic and beyond. We look forward to working with new Minister O’Connor to deliver on Labor’s commitments for TAFE.
“Our members work with students at every stage of life and in every corner of our country in public education. In the AEU, the new ministers will find the knowledge and expertise they need to understand the challenges and the opportunities for public education and for our nation.
“We look forward to a collaborative and productive working relationship with the Albanese Government.
“We sincerely thank the Hon. Tanya Plibersek, the Hon. Richard Marles and the Hon. Amanda Rishworth for their work on behalf of public education and wish them well in their new portfolios.”
ACTU greets new workplace and employment minister
The ACTU welcomes the appointment of Tony Burke as minister for employment and workplace relations and looks forward to working with him to improve the lives of working people.
Minister Burke has worked hard in opposition to resist attacks on Australian workers such as the Ensuring Integrity Bill and the IR Omnibus Bill.
The pay and conditions of millions of working people are stronger today than they might have been without his work during the term of the last government.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said: “After almost a decade of attacks on their rights, working people finally have a minister for employment and workplace relations who will fight for them.”
“We welcome Minister Burke’s appointment and look forward to working with him and his team in line with the strong mandate for action on job security and wage growth that the Albanese Government has secured,” she added.
“The Australian people have been clear that they want a government which will restore balance to our industrial relations system.
“Strong wage growth and increased job security is desperately needed to ensure that the recovery from the pandemic extends to the workers who carried this country through the crisis.”
Unions win historic wage increase
The Fair Work Commission has decided to increase wages for a quarter of Australian workers - 5.2 per cent for those on the minimum wage and 4.6 per cent or $40 per week for those reliant on award wages, whichever is higher.
The decision puts an extra $40 a week in the pocket of a full time worker on the minimum wage and low-paid award workers. While this is a good outcome for these workers, there are still 8.5 million workers who don’t know where their next wage rise is coming from.
Lack of wage growth is a critical issue for our economy and we need concerted action to address it.
Our current system means that despite low unemployment, high productivity and record profits, labour’s share of GDP is at a record low and Australian workers have faced a decade of record low wage growth capped by ongoing real wage cuts.
Australia needs a plan to ensure that over time, wages grow for working people, and a system which will deliver on that plan. The current system is not delivering for working people.
ACTU Secretary Sally McManus said the union movement fought hard for this increase, standing up for the quarter of Australian workers who relied on this process for a pay rise.
“If it were not for unions, with employers pushing for big real wage cuts, Australian working people and their families would see no relief from cost-of-living pressures,” she said.
“This Annual Wage Review is one tool we have to generate wage growth, but it only affects one in four workers – we need wage growth across the economy.
“Clearly the current system is failing. It is unable to deliver wage increases despite low unemployment, high productivity and high profits.
“Working people are feeling the serious consequences of nearly 10 years of
inaction by the previous government.
“Our country needs to take a fresh look at this problem and address it. It is not acceptable that working Australians and their families continue to go backwards while big business does so well.
“We cannot be satisfied with a wage setting process that leaves minimum wage workers living in poverty and delivers real wage cuts for the average worker.”
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