It’s official. The Heads of Agreement poised to make beginning and top-of-scale school teachers the nation’s best paid – and deliver increases to all others – has been signed.
“This is an historic moment and a credit to our members,” Mr Rajendra said. Over several years, members lobbied tirelessly as part of the More Than Thanks campaign, phoning, emailing, visiting and protesting outside their local MP’s office and undertaking industrial action.
The Heads of Agreement varies the current award, extending it to 8 October next year. The starting salary for a NSW teacher will increase from $75,791 to $85,000 and the salary for a top of the scale teacher will increase from $113,042 to $122,100. All teachers will move to a new higher paying step.
School counsellors will be paid according to a new salary scale consisting of five annual steps, which recognises their dual qualification and acute staff shortages in their discipline. School counsellors at band 2.3, senior psychologists education and leaders psychology practice will have their salaries adjusted to the same level as head teachers/assistant principals, deputy principals and principals, respectively. School counsellors at bands 1 to 2.2 will move to a new higher paying step on the salary scale. Casual teacher and casual counsellor school rates will also be adjusted upwards, from a two-step scale to a three-step scale linked to the steps 1, 3 and 5 of the new full time salary scale. Award based allowances are also increased by 4 per cent.
Members can access the salary rates here.
The Heads of Agreement commits the Government to ongoing negotiations regarding:
- workload, including the nature of the work, flexible arrangements, the right to disconnect and teaching loads
- non award-based allowances
- principal classification structure.
Federation and the Department will negotiate a new three-year award to commence at the expiration of the varied award.
The signing follows Federation Council endorsing the Heads of Agreement. The full Council decision can be found here.