In this bulletin:
- Branch Executive elections – deadline to nominate is tomorrow
- Rally against the pay freeze
- COVID restrictions, vaccination, schools and borders – complete our survey
- Women’s Conference – last chance to register
- Arthur Hamilton Award – nominations now open
Branch Executive elections – deadline to nominate is tomorrow
Nominations are open for all regional positions on our Branch Executive until 11.30am ACST tomorrow, Friday 17 September. There are also a number of federal AEU positions representing the NT Branch.
You will need to download and return a signed nomination form to be eligible.
Rally against the pay freeze
Members in the Greater Darwin area will come together on Tuesday 21 September at 4.30pm in State Square in Darwin city to protest the Gunner Government’s four year pay freeze. We will be joined by members of other public sector unions such as nurses, firefighters and Power and Water employees.
This rally will coincide with parliamentary sittings and is a crucial opportunity to show the Government that we won’t accept such a paltry pay offer. While we continue to negotiate in good faith with the Commissioner for a new enterprise agreement, the wages policy is set by Government and can only be changed by a decision of cabinet. That’s why we must continue to place pressure on politicians to abandon the pay freeze.
For members in areas outside Darwin, we encourage you to organise a local event as a sub-branch in solidarity and send us a photograph to publicise on social media.
COVID restrictions, vaccinations, schools and borders – complete our survey
Yesterday the Chief Minister announced new COVID-19 arrangements for the Northern Territory once the threshold of 80% vaccinated is reached. The most significant element of this announcement for our members is the requirement that all school-based employees will be required to be vaccinated, along with other groups of workers deemed high-risk. Our Branch Executive is meeting tomorrow and will consider the implications of the Chief Minster’s announcement and what it means for members. We are also expecting further information from the Department and the NT Government in the coming days.
We have prepared a member survey on COVID-19 covering issues such as border closures, lockdowns, school closures and vaccinations. A link to the survey was emailed to all members yesterday. We’ve already had more than 400 responses. We urge you to complete the survey to help inform our response in the coming months. If you did not receive the link, contact the office and let us know.
Women’s Conference – last chance to register
This year’s AEU Federal Women’s Conference will be held on Saturday 9 October. The conference will be held online via Zoom from 11am to 3pm. The deadline for registrations is Friday September 17 so please email Women’s Officer Melody O’Meara at [email protected] to reserve your place.
The Conference is focused on increasing the participation of women in our union and its campaigns. There are no caps on numbers so we encourage women members to attend.
Arthur Hamilton Award for excellence in Aboriginal education
Nominations are now open for the 2021 Arthur Hamilton Award for Outstanding Contribution to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education. This national AEU award commemorates the work of Arthur Hamilton who was active in promoting social justice, fostering the voice of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander educators and campaigning for the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students to access a high-quality public education.
The Award recognises AEU members who are committed to ensuring that all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students have the right to high quality public education throughout their lives.
We encourage AEU NT members to nominate for this award. The Arthur Hamilton Award is a terrific opportunity to showcase the tremendous work being done in the NT to provide opportunities for Indigenous students.
An individual or group can be nominated. In recent years we have had two winners from the NT.
The closing date for nominations is Friday 17 December 2021. For more information and to download a nomination form visit our federal website or contact the Branch Office.
Resources
Download this Bulletin in PDF format