Restructure by stealth
By Bob Lipscombe
First it was EPAC investigators, then staff support officers and now AMES positions.
Continuing from the attack on non-school based positions which recognise teaching qualifications and experience and a disregard for the quality of support provided to students and teachers, the Department of Education and Training (DET) has just put forward a proposal to remove the recognition of such qualifications for some positions in the Adult Migrant English Service, including educational counsellors. This follows decisions late last year to remove recognition of similar qualifications for Employee Performance and Conduct (EPAC) investigators and staff support officers.
Reminiscent of some of the worst aspects of the Howard Government's WorkChoices legislation and in what is little more than cost-cutting with little regard for those in schools, any future successful candidates for the positions will be employed on public service clerical salaries that are thousands of dollars below those currently paid to those who have teaching experience.
Separate discussions with DET officials about the changes to the EPAC investigator positions and the to the staff support officers positions have been unproductive. DET officials have argued that teachers can and will apply for these positions, noting that a small number of teachers have applied for clerical positions in the past. Clearly, with the loss of salary combined with a loss of the right to return to return to the Education Teaching Service such numbers will remain very small. Federation has continued to argue that where some similar clerical positions currently exist on lower public service salaries, those salaries should be brought into line with salaries paid to those from the teaching service. To date, the only "concession" has been that future successful applicants from the teaching service will retain their right to return to the Education Teaching Service for 12 months. If they do not exercise that right within that period, it will be forfeited.
EPAC positions now before IRC
Because of the failure of discussions between Federation officials and DET to produce anything of significance, Federation is pursuing the downgrading of the EPAC investigator positions in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission. In the Commission, Federation is arguing that if teachers and principals are to have any confidence in EPAC investigations, that status quo of approximately 50 per cent of the investigators having teaching backgrounds must be maintained.
It is likely only a matter of time before disputes over the staff support officer positions find their way to the Industrial Relations Commission.
Bob Lipscombe is the Deputy President.
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