Have your say on salaries

By Maree O’Halloran

Schools, TAFE colleges and all other Federation workplaces are encouraged to hold Federation meetings in the next few weeks to consider our new salaries claim.

A mailout to Federation Representatives will commence this week. It will contain the 2004 Annual Conference decision with the initial claim, some background information and a survey form to complete and return to Federation.

The workplace surveys will be supplemented by a random sample survey of 5000 members which includes questions about the salaries claim and industrial tactics.

The result of both surveys will be collated for Council's information and to help determine the final claim which will be launched at Annual Conference 2005.

The Public Service Association recently settled their 25 per cent wage claim. The result was four per cent per annum fully funded over four years. The first four per cent is payable from July 1, 2004 and the last on July 1, 2007. The agreement ends on June 30, 2008.

Four per cent fully funded per annum now represents a public sector benchmark for the Government.

This salaries round we need to ensure that priority is given to classroom teachers. We also need to ensure a first payment from January 1, 2006 to consolidate gains made in 2004.

Federation's initial claim to be considered by the members includes:

• a three-year award (to take us two years past the 2007 State Election)
• payment from January 1, 2006
• $75,000 at the top of the classroom teacher scale maintained in real terms throughout the life of the award (approximately 13 per cent plus CPI/general wage movements)
• $50,000 at the bottom of the classroom teacher scale maintained in real terms throughout the life of the award (approximately eight per cent plus CPI/general wage movements)
• restructuring of primary/central promotions positions to provide the same salary as equivalent secondary positions.

Members also need to consider the claim for other promotions positions. The flow-on from the Catholic school teachers' case to promotions positions had just been awarded by the date of Annual Conference 2004 and the effect had not been analysed.

The claim for other promotions positions must clearly be no less than our claim for the bottom of the scale.

Consideration also needs to be given to the restructuring claim for head teachers/assistant principals which was part of the last salaries claim but not decided. That restructuring claim was for head teachers/assistant principals to have a three-step incremental scale consistent with Senior Education Officers.

Finally, the industrial strategy for the next salaries case needs to be determined. The "once-in-decade" work value case is over. The result for classroom teachers was deliberately reduced by the Industrial Relations Commission because of overt political intervention by the Premier.

This time we must achieve an outcome by negotiation and political settlement. We are advantaged by the timing of this salaries round in relation to the state electoral cycle. However, members will still need to consider what action they are prepared to take to advance our case and put pressure on the Government to offer more than the current benchmark.

There is no option for a work value case in the Industrial Relations Commission this time round although it should be noted that the Commission left open the option for a further case for top-of-the scale teachers only. The Commission will certainly become involved, however, if the State Government/Department lodges an application intended to strip award conditions or award teachers no more than cost of living increases for the next three years.

Please take the time to attend your Federation meeting about salaries. The union needs your input.

Maree O'Halloran is the President.