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Salaries and status campaign - Developing the salaries claimConference demands on behalf of all members that government invest in the teaching profession. A quality public education system, one that currently survives on the professional commitment and goodwill of its teachers, is not sustainable without a significant increase in the salary level and consequential status of the profession. Students and communities are put at risk by the undervaluing of the profession. The chronic and continued undervaluing of the profession will inevitably and inexorably exacerbate the effect of the global teacher shortage in NSW. For more than a decade this undervaluing has been accompanied by substantial changes in the nature of teachers' work and the conditions surrounding that work. Public education teachers are a litmus-test occupational group in terms of the future of our society and the future of our workforce. The workforce and hence, society generally, is markedly divided between those who are well-paid, permanent and exercise a large degree of professional control over their work and those who are casual, lowly-paid and minutely supervised. This division is demonstrable in Federation workplaces and indicates that this salaries campaign, like those that preceded, it is part of an ongoing and crucial struggle within our society. The Federation's responsibility, while primarily to the membership, encompasses a commitment to helping shape a fair and equitable distribution of income and security for the broader workforce, a workforce our students are entering.
Consultation with the membershipSolidarity, unity and activism amongst the membership is critical to success in the campaign. To ascertain the strength of membership support Conference initiates the following salaries claim and plan for extensive and focussed membership consultation during term 3, 2002. This timeline will enable the claim to be amended following the consultation. The claim will also be reviewed to take into account wage movements in the community and public sector and the Vinson announcements. October Council will further consider this matter.
Quantum and durationA 20 per cent claim for all members with the award to have a duration of two years from January 1, 2004. The claim to be configured as:
Conference puts the Government on notice that teachers will undertake a range of political and industrial activity to ensure the first payment is achieved from January 1, 2004.
Structural award changes to promote equity and the status of the professionGiven that:
a) by far the largest proportion of the membership will retire on step 13 of the common incremental scale, and Other matters to be pursued include: 1. Beneficial revision of the common incremental salary claim for beginning teachers. 2. Salary levels for assistant principal primary/primary principal 6 and deputy principal primary/primary principal 5 to be commensurate with head teacher and deputy principal secondary, respectively. The provision of an award-based allowance be included to recognise the responsibility and accountability of teaching principals in P6 and P5 schools. 3. Investigation of membership support for options to redress the head teacher salary level compared to other promotional positions. 4. Redressing the head teacher salary anomalies and problems with the promotions positions agreement in TAFE. 5. A continued commitment to a staffing establishment agreement in TAFE. 6. A commitment by government to support a school staffing establishment award to be finalised within the period of the next salaries and conditions award. This schools staffing establishment award is to provide staffing improvements to address excessive teacher workload, for example by the creation and increase of concessional allocation to provide teacher release. This may be facilitated by the inclusion of a leave reserved clause in the salaries and conditions award that will allow the schools staffing establishment award to be pursued within the timeframe of the next salaries award. The Federation, in pursuing a staffing establishment award, will also seriously consider alternate, comparable options including the clear delineated award regulation of teacher tasks from non-teacher tasks and fixed teacher work times. 7. Redressing the current exploitation of part-time/casual teachers, co-ordinators and counsellors in TAFE through the attainment of pro-rata pay and conditions. 8. Equity issues relating to education officer positions in DET.
AllowancesIt is timely and necessary for all allowances, including principals' allowances, to be updated, enhanced and access to appropriate allowances be broadened. This will include access to year adviser allowances across all secondary and central schools and principals' allowances for principals in P6 schools and equity in the provision of climatic allowances. There should be a change to the allocation of the cold climatic allowance. This allowance must be based on towns and their surrounds rather than strictly on out of date isotherm readings, which have not taken into account the development of new schools in the same area.
Non-permanent membersConference welcomes the decision of the NSW Industrial Relations Commission to hear the matter of temporary teachers within the life of the current award. The Federation will pursue this matter for temporary school teachers and pursue the pro-rata pay and conditions case in the Industrial Relations Commission in 2003 for TAFE part-time teachers.
Award clausesThe following clauses will be investigated and developed:
Federation is also to seek changed wording of current clauses 5.1 and 6 which ensures respect for teachers' professionalism as well as appropriate and fair mechanisms for dealing with those genuine cases of teachers who are in need of assistance with their teaching. In this respect, the clauses should remove any possibility for being used as a disciplinary device, as a means to straight-jacket teaching practice or prevent innovation and "risk-taking" on the part of teachers. There needs to be incorporated in clause 6, which should be renamed Education Quality, or in a new clause, provisions which place some onus on the Department of Education and Training for the quality of education.
Negotiation and settlementInvestment in the salaries and status of the profession is a major government responsibility. Conference states that our aim is a fully funded award negotiated and in place by the expiry of the current award. A negotiated, political settlement is most desirable for public education and hence Federation has already initiated award and salary discussions. Teachers will not and should not tolerate any increased workload or cost cutting to fund salaries. Systems enhancements to support a new award must be accepted or initiated by the profession and be allocated additional funding. Conference notes the findings of the Vinson Inquiry have the potential to provide the Government with new public policy and structural efficiency.
Contingency planConference recognises with grave regret that our best efforts may be futile in the face of Government intransigence and possible belligerence. Conference both foreshadows political and industrial action and sets in place the following contingency plan.The Federation will pursue the potential for Government agreement to separate salaries from working conditions in the award so that the advantages and disadvantages of salary arbitration could be considered. Conference recognises that however the salaries claim progresses, it will at some stage be in the Industrial Relations Commission. The Federation will seek legal advice about arbitration, giving consideration to new decisions in the Industrial Relations Commission and consolidating a preferred new award. Federation will commence the selection of witnesses and the process of developing evidence.
Publicity and action plan1. Consultation in all schools, colleges and Federation workplaces in term 3.2. The Federation will commission market research to ensure that the publicity and arguments to support the salaries claim reach all the target audiences. 3. The Federation will investigate and document the rises in salary and allowances politicians have given themselves in comparison to the rises given to teachers. 4. The Federation will commission academic research about teachers' salaries and workload for use in publicity, negotiations and the Industrial Relations Commission. 5. The Federation will budget for significant paid publicity to support the campaign. This will include pamphlets for mass distribution and other support for membership action. 6. Regular bulletins and progress reports will be provided to schools, colleges and Federation worksites. 7. The Federation will engage in dialogue with our public education allies about raising the salaries and status of the profession with the aim of producing joint public statements where possible and appropriate. 8. The salaries and status of the profession is to be a key demand to be reported on to our members as part of the State Election Campaign. 9. Members are asked to be prepared for a range of political actions over the next 18 months and industrial action where warranted. 10. The Minister is reminded that the Federation will not be bound by the provision of clause 18 after December 31, 2003, if no new award or agreement is in place by this time. 11. Federation will pursue the payment of a negotiation fee by all non-member teaching staff who receive salary increases as a result of union campaigns. There will be a report to Council from Executive regarding the possibility of this proposal. 2002 Annual Conference decisions
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