“This package embeds your rightful place as a trusted and respected teacher”
Competitive salaries and significant improvements to working conditions are included in the new three-year salaries and conditions Award for school teachers, endorsed by 97 per cent of school members at mass meetings held in more than 200 venues across the state on 28 October.
The agreement, negotiated between Federation and the Department of Education, will significantly reduce the workload and burnout of members, restructure employment practices to address the gendered nature of the teaching profession and play a key role in attracting and retaining teachers to the profession.
Federation’s workload survey (completed by more than 13,000 members) and Annual Conference decisions provided clear direction for the negotiations.
More time to undertake individual and collaborative planning, programming and professional learning, reducing excessive meetings, addressing the hours of work during scheduled work hours while onsite and the associated impact, including burnout, were the driving forces for these changes. During negotiations, Federation sought at all times to focus on measures that would not only improve members’ working conditions and address workload and burnout but also ensure the profession could address the serious issue of attraction and retention.
COMPETITIVE SALARIES
President Henry Rajendra said the agreement maintains the structural reset of teacher salaries achieved last year after a decade of wage suppression under the previous government.
“It ensures our pay keeps pace with inflation while remaining competitive with other jurisdictions — critical factors in attracting and retaining the teachers our students need,” Mr Rajendra said.
The new Award delivers a:
- 3 per cent wage increase from the first full pay period on or after 9 October 2024, plus a 0.5 per cent increase in superannuation from 1 July 2024
- 3 per cent wage increase from the first full pay period on or after 9 October 2025, plus a 0.5 per cent increase in superannuation from 1 July 2025
- 3 per cent wage increase from the first full pay period on or after 9 October 2026
- 3 percent increase each year to all allowances covered under the new Award.
The deal also includes protection against high inflation through annual $1000 cost of living adjustments if inflation exceeds 4.5 percent.
IMPROVEMENTS TO WORKING CONDITIONS
Deputy President Amber Flohm said improvements to school teachers’ working conditions in the new Award reflect members’ feedback in the recent workload survey.
“They address the key factors contributing to the crippling workload pressures impacting your work, your health, your family, your relationships and your profession,” she said.
“This package embeds your rightful place as a trusted and respected teacher, with autonomy to make your own decisions about your work and intellectual labour, for the benefit of your students and the communities you serve.”
Ms Flohm said some of the improvements to working conditions are:
- Nine additional school development days: This means three additional school development days per year from 2025.
- Four of the eight school development days per year will be for ‘classroom teacher determined activities’: This condition provides teachers and principals with critical time to undertake individual and collaborative planning, programming and professional learning to start the term the way it should.
- An end to twilight professional learning sessions and rescheduling of school development days: Each school year will commence with four school development days, followed by two days at the start of term 2 and one day at the start of terms 3 and 4. All mandatory training must be included as part of school development days.
- A one-hour cap on total meeting time before and/or after school per week: This is inclusive of all school, staff, stage and faculty meetings conducted before or after school.
- A new consultation framework in relation to teachers’ work: Federation and the Department will develop the framework to ensure successful implementation of new measures to reduce workload and to embed collaborative and respectful decision making in schools.
- Equitable allocation of professional learning funds for all staff, connected to teacher Performance and Development Plans
- A new Award clause to reflect the gendered nature of the teaching profession
- New flexible work arrangements for family, work and care responsibilities, including job share, parttime employment and full-time and part-time leave without pay: These provisions will follow the life cycle of a teachers’ career, from beginning teachers to those transitioning to retirement, and will be available to all teachers and principals with these responsibilities. Flexible employment arrangements will equally apply to teachers, executives and principals who require flexibility to balance their family, work and care responsibilities because they:
- are pregnant; or
- are the parent or have responsibility for the care of a child who is of school age or younger; or
- are a carer (within the meaning of the Carer Recognition Act 2010); or
- have a disability; or
- are 55 or older; or
- are experiencing family and domestic violence; or
- are caring for or supporting an immediate family or household member who requires care or support because they are experiencing family and domestic violence.
- have no service requirement
- disallow for a teacher to be disadvantaged due to an application or implementation of these flexible work arrangements can apply as ad-hoc, short or long term
- apply to parents and carers of children of school or before school age
- define teachers over the age of 55 or those with disability as ‘self care’
- have system bias in favour for approval
- ensure any decline in approval must be provided in writing to the teacher, outlining reasons
- include a review mechanism developed with Federation and at an Executive Director level
- will be reflected by the new clause in the Award and amendments to the Teachers Handbook. The new arrangements will help attract and retain the teachers and principals we need in the public education system, which will enhance the working conditions of all members.
- Expressions of interest for relieving in higher duties to include job share and part-time arrangements, to address the gender pay gap: Relieving in higher duties expressions of interest for executive will be advertised to include job share arrangements, first at the school level and then at the system level.
- Reduction and clarity on required student assessments, to reduce data collection: Clear communications and directions, developed with Federation, will be provided to schools about mandatory statewide assessments and assessments teachers can utilise at their professional discretion and judgement.
- The ‘right to disconnect’ principles and procedure will be included in the Teachers Handbook, to secure the provisions
- Enhancements to family and domestic violence leave, processes, applications and support resources, including specifically for LGBTIQA+ teachers
- Additional entitlement for special fertility leave
- Removal of discretion to decline leave for Sorry Business
- Enhancement of recruitment of permanent part-time employment
- Removal of the right to vary or replace the Performance and Development Framework and Performance and Development Plan processes without Federation consultation: Wording of the Performance and Development Framework clause in the Award, clause 7, would revert to the 2020 version: “The Performance and Development Framework for Principals, Executives and Teachers, jointly developed by the parties, applies to employees covered by this award.” This change will ensure that the employer is unable to unilaterally vary or replace the Performance and Development Framework or Performance and Development Plan processes, which was possible in the 2022 Award.
