AEU NT Member Bulletin Term 4/2023
In this bulletin:
-Final pay rise under Teachers, Assistant Teachers’ and Non-Contract Principals 2021-2024 EA
-AEU membership fees
-Teacher workloads review
-For Every Child: campaign to fully fund public schools nationwide
-Welcome to our newest team member: Jengis Osman
-AEU NT wins for members: first aid allowance for AOs; relief teacher status; parental leave superannuation payments; permanency; East Arnhem FOILs win
-Workplace Bullying and Harassment: PD opportunity
-Territory Educator
-School visits
Final pay rise under Teachers, Assistant Teachers’ and Non-Contract Principals 2021-2024 EA
The new Teachers’ Enterprise Agreement 2021-2024 has been ratified. The final salary increases in line with the new agreement came into effect 11 October. Please contact payroll in the first instance if you have any queries or concerns about this.
AEU membership fees
In line with AEU NT policy, member fees will soon be increased. We have held off on increasing these for as long as possible given current cost of living challenges. However, now that the final wage rise as part of the 2021-2024 Teachers’ Enterprise Agreement has happened, we need to ensure that member fees are indexed according to current salaries and in line with our policy. The upcoming fee schedule is available for download at http://aeunt.org.au/membership/. Look out for email communication over the coming weeks advising when you can expect this change to take place. Please note that there will be no fee increase for members employed by school councils in any classroom support role or whose employment falls under the 2021-2025 General Agreement.
Teacher workloads review
An outcome of AEU NT negotiations held for the 2021-2024 Enterprise Agreement was a commitment to finding practical ways to reduce the workloads of teachers.
The Department of Education has engaged Dave Faulkner and Education Changemakers (EC) to conduct consultations with staff over the next few weeks. EC are external consultants. We encourage you to participate in these workshops in an open and frank manner. Following the consultation period, EC will share a set of recommendations with the taskforce set up by the Department to oversee the review. AEU NT officers are your representatives and advocates on this taskforce. Sign up for consultation workshops at https://educationchangemakers.typeform.com/to/gMF0FRNW. EC will send you a confirmation and any other details you need beforehand.
An extended closing date will be communicated by the Department shortly. Please direct enquiries about the project to [email protected].
In addition, the AEU NT has arranged a closed session with EC for Friday 27 October at 7am. Contact Branch President Michelle Ayres at [email protected]
if you or your sub-branch have experiences or opinions you would like us to share on your behalf or for how to register if you want to attend.
For Every Child: campaign to fully fund public schools nationwide
We are working hard with our Federal colleagues and AEU branches across the nation to see every child in Australia receive full funding for a quality education. Sign up to show your support at https://www.foreverychild.au/sign-up and visit http://aeunt.org.au/for-every-child/campaign-updates/ to see what we have been up to in the NT lately. Our Campaign Coordinator, Brian Gray, will shortly set off on a road trip across the Territory and all the way to Canberra to deliver thousands of postcards from teachers, parents and community members to the Prime Minister. There are plenty of opportunities to support the campaign in your own school and community too. Get in touch with Brian at [email protected] if you’d like to get involved or if you’d like a visit to your school to promote the dire need for fair funding for every child.
We thank the AEU Federal Office for funding this trip and all other aspects of the campaign.
Welcome to our newest team member: Jengis Osman
Jengis Osman joins us as Project Officer to assist in undertaking workplace visits and support with industrial enquiries. Jengis comes with a wealth of experience having worked as an organiser and undertaken bargaining, industrial work and supporting members. We welcome him to this position, and you can too when you catch him on the phone or out and about visiting your school.
Towards the end of term 3 and in recent weeks AEU NT has secured several positive improvements for specific groups of members.
First aid allowance for AOs
First Aid Allowance to be paid to those employees whose job descriptions require them to hold a current First Aid Certificate, in addition to named First Aiders. This is a requirement under the General Enterprise Agreement and affects a significant number of AOs across our schools. AEU NT would like your help to compile a complete list of all job titles that have this requirement. We currently know that ‘SESOs’ and ‘Pre-School Assistants’ are two such job roles affected. The Department has issued an information sheet and application form (currency of certificates need to be checked) and have committed to making back payment to the commencement of the current General EA in February 2022. This means circa $1,800 is due to anyone continuously qualified. AEU NT will now be seeking to rationalise first aid training arrangements across the Department, making delivery more consistent. Please note that this is not an automatic payment. Members are encouraged to speak with their school leadership teams about it.
Relief teacher status
Relief Teachers currently paid by School Councils (or equivalent representative body such as a Board) are to be given casual contracts of the Department of Education. We have correspondence from the NTPS Commissioner of Public Employment indicating the need for this. AEU NT sees this as an important step to improve the conditions for relief teachers employed at the daily casual rate, giving them access to Service wide arrangements and entitlements which we believe will make the role more attractive and thus increase relief teacher availability. Please send individual enquiries via our online “send an enquiry” form at http://aeunt.org.au/contact/
Parental leave superannuation payments
Earlier this week AEU NT received confirmation from the NTPS Commissioner of Public Employment’s office that members on Parental Leave are having their superannuation payments paid as per clauses of the Teachers’ Enterprise Agreement 2021-2024. This is important so that recipients do not lose out on compound interest on superannuation payments. This followed concern from several member that things were not being done correctly and a situation from a few years back around lengthy non-payment of correct super entitlements that, following AEU NT involvement, resulted in interest payments being made to a number of teachers.
Permanency
Senior Officers of the Department have reiterated their commitment to make teachers permanent once they have worked for 2 years with the NTPS or received 2 consecutive contracts. 24 classroom teachers were converted during Term 3 and both us and the Department want to better that number during Term 4. We have established a process between this office and relevant Senior Directors within the Department so that, where we can, the circumstances of any current fixed period teacher fitting the above criteria will be reviewed. Members who would like to be considered can make a request via our online “send an enquiry” form at http://aeunt.org.au/contact/
East Arnhem FOILs win
Earlier this year AEU NT initiated a formal dispute process with the Department and NTPS Commissioner of Public Employment’s office around a reduction of entitlement in Air Fare FOILs payments for members in East Arnhem region. Late in September, we received written confirmation from the NTPS Commissioner of Public Employment that the Department of Education will revert to previous arrangements, the same arrangements being applied in other NTPS Agencies (such as Dept of Health). We are currently working to ensure the Department of Education fully implement this outcome.
Workplace Bullying and Harassment: PD opportunity
Run by the Anti-Discrimination Commission, this training session will cover discrimination, harassment, bullying, sexual harassment, and victimisation. Discussion will be held, and advice given about how to deal with inappropriate behaviour in the workplace and the impacts of discrimination on staff well-being and workplace culture. The NT Anti-Discrimination Act and the role of the Commission will also be covered.
When:
Wednesday 1 November, 3.30-5.30pm
Where:
online (live streamed)
Contact Women’s Officer Melody O’Meara at [email protected]
to sign up. Places are limited to 20.
Territory Educator
A new edition of The Territory Educator is being prepared – if you’d like to contribute an article, photos or have an idea please contact Melody O’Meara at [email protected]. If you would like additional copies of the most recent edition let us know and we will arrange for some to be dropped off or posted out to you.
School visits and travel
Bridget O’Dwyer (Project Officer) and Mick McCarthy (Special Projects/Industrial Officer) will be visiting Alice Springs in Week 4. Most, but not all, workplaces have been contacted by Bridget and a visit arranged. A shortened travel itinerary this term means it is not possible to visit each and every school on this trip. We are, however, hosting a ‘Social Do’ at the Alice Springs Golf Club on Thursday 2 November, 5-7pm. We encourage you all to come along, particularly if your school does not have a formal visit scheduled. The event is an opportunity to chat and ask questions of Bridget and Mick and meet up with other Alice members while enjoying some finger food platters, pizza and a complimentary beverage. A similar successful event was held in Term 1, and we look forward to replicating this with you now that we have reached Term 4!
We endeavour to visit as many workplaces as possible and would love for members of our team to visit yours! Contact [email protected]
with any queries or suggestions for school visits in your area.
Phone 08 8948 5399; [email protected]; www.aeunt.org.au
Unit 3, 8 Totem Rd, Coconut Grove NT; PO Box 41863, Casuarina NT 0811
Authorised by Rachael Metcalfe, Branch Secretary, 3/8 Totem Rd Coconut Grove NT 0810