Direcftor-General Andrew Cappie-Wood has received a four per cent pay increase.

Salaries campaign to escalate

By Maree O’Halloran

A Sky Channel meeting of all members is to be held early term 4 to discuss salaries.

In a letter date August 23 Education Minister Carmel Tebbutt was advised:

"The Federation's Annual Conference in 2005 decided that Sky Channel meetings would be held in early term 4 to report to members about the salaries negotiations and explain the employer's offer (or lack thereof)."

The second salaries negotiations session between Federation's Senior Officers and the Director-General, Andrew Cappie-Wood, took place on August 29. The Director-General took the opportunity to outline the State Government's official wages policy to the Federation. That wages policy is three per cent per annum. The Federation rejected that policy, pointing out that the Director-General himself had received a four per cent increase and State MPs received a 4.1 per cent increase. Furthermore, every other Department employees had received four percent per annum for four years fully funded, not to mention police, nurses and fire fighters.

The Department also had a shopping list of "trade offs" for discussion including loss of award conditions particularly for TAFE members. The Director-General was informed in no uncertain terms that the Federation would be involved in no negative cost-cutting or trading off of award conditions. Such an agenda belongs to the Howard Coalition Government.

Following this meeting Federation sought clarification directly from the Minister, Carmel Tebbutt, on September 2. The Minister has advised that she and the State Government want a negotiated outcome with the Federation. The matters outlined by the Director-General to the Federation do not represent a Government salaries offer, instead they represent a shopping list of matters the Department was hoping the union would discuss. It is clear to both the Minister and the Director-General that Federation will not entertain "trade offs" to award conditions.

The next salaries negotiation was due to take place on September 9. The Sky Channel, however, is critical to focus the attention of the State Government on making an acceptable offer to teachers. The credibility of the Stat Government's industrial relations system is at stake.

Maree O'Halloran is the President.

Full text of the letter to Tebbutt

For further information

September 2005 contents