Corrective Services educators match teacher salaries increases

By Richard Walsham

Educators working in the Department of Corrective Services are to receive the same salaries increases granted to school and TAFE teachers after agreement on a consent award.

Federation was seeking, for educators in Corrective Services, the 12 per cent over two years granted to school and TAFE teachers in the Industrial Relations Commission.

In a meeting with Federation on June 25 Corrective Services Commissioner Ron Woodham agreed to offer the same increases to Corrective Services educators, fully funded, as was granted to schools and TAFE teachers and to drop the proposal to cut the paid non-attendance time for teachers. He also agreed to enter into discussions with Federation to work towards lodging a consent award application which would expire on December 31, 2005.

Six weeks of intensive negotiations then followed to settle upon the details of the consent award. The Department finally agreed to a provision to permit Federation to seek arbitration over its 4 per cent claim for senior correctional education officers.

On Friday, August 13, Federation and the Department of Corrective Services finalised the agreement.

Hearing dates of August 30-September 3 and November 1-4 had been originally set by the Industrial Relations Commission to arbitrate of the whole matter. The parties have now agreed to vacate the August/September dates but to seek retention of the November dates for possible hearing of the outstanding matter regarding senior correctional education officers.

Richard Walsham is an Industrial Officer.

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August 2004 contents