TAFE members from across NSW came together on 29 January for the first Trade Union Training course of 2026, ‘Know Your Rights at Work’. A strong attendance signalled growing engagement in union learning across the sector, with the one-day course equipping members with practical knowledge to take back to their workplaces.
Kelly Marks, relieving TAFE lead organiser said, this was the largest group of TAFE teachers ever to attend a Federation training session, with 57 members from every faculty at TAFE filling the largest meeting space available.
‘Know Your Rights at Work’ focuses on collective action, workplace representation and the ongoing role of the union in protecting and improving conditions in TAFE.
“(To start) we gave everybody a copy of their enterprise agreement and encouraged them to take it back to their staff rooms,” Kelly said. “Members were excited to see the conditions the union had negotiated. They hadn’t realised many of these entitlements are legally protected and not open to local negotiation.”
Collective action is the only way
Opening the course, the NSW Teachers Federation President Henry Rajendra made clear that understanding workplace rights only has power when it’s shared and acted on collectively.
“This is not about information just for yourself,” Henry said, “Knowing your rights at work is not an individual pursuit. Collective action is the only way we protect and improve our working conditions.”
He encouraged members to see the course as a starting point rather than an endpoint, and to take what they’d learned back to their colleagues.
“As teachers, we organise learning in a structured way,” he shared. “What you absorb here today should be something you can take back and work through with your colleagues.”
These messages shaped discussion throughout the day, with members drawing on their own workplace experiences and considering how union knowledge can be shared and embedded locally. Members also discussed their right to a dedicated union noticeboard in staff areas, providing visible resources and updates for all colleagues.
Representation is central to union strength
A strong focus of the course was the importance of workplace representation with members urging to prioritise filling union roles within their TAFE campuses.
“One of my hopes is that some of the names from (yesterday) will step up into these roles,” Kelly said.
Henry added that attending workplace annual general meetings and electing office bearers is essential for members staying visible and feeling represented within the union.
“To remain unrepresented is to remain unseen by the union,” he said. “We cannot do union business if we don’t know who the elected representatives are at your workplace.”
Participants were also encouraged to treat representations as practical and immediate actions, recognising its role in strengthening collective advocacy across TAFE.
Learning from the past, building for the future
‘Knowing Your Rights at Work’ also reflected on the challenges TAFE has faced in recent years, and the role of collective union strength in sustaining the public system through difficult periods.
While acknowledging the impact of those years on staff and students, Henry reinforced that progress has only been possible because members stayed organised and committed.
“Throughout some very dark years, one thing remained strong, and that was the union,” he said. “It wasn’t easy, but we stayed committed to our students, our profession and the system.”
A significant focus of the day was supporting members who had recently transitioned from casual to permanent roles through the conversion processes pushed for by the union movement over decades.
“Reversing casualisation has been a hard-fought Federation campaign. Many of the members who are now permanent had never been able to access entitlements or advocate for themselves before,” Kelly said. “Now, with permanency, they’re in a strong position to do so, and the course helped them understand the support available”.
A strong start to the year
With high attendance, active participation and clear focus on collective action and workplace representation, ‘Know Your Rights at Work’ makes a strong beginning to Federation’s Trade Union Training program for 2026.
“Courses like this are so important… (they’re) about building advocacy and empowering more members to participate,” Kelly said.
Summarising the day, she added, “It was a really positive day, and members left equipped to take what they learned back to their colleagues and strengthen their union connection.”
Engagement throughout the day reinforced the importance of creating dedicated spaces for TAFE members to learn together, strengthen their union networks and build confidence to act collectively in their workplaces.
More courses for TAFE members will be offered throughout the year.
Not a member? Learn about the benefits of NSW Teachers Federation membership and join today.