Teachers take fight to Fair Work

GEELONG teachers have spoken out in support of an application to change bargaining arrangements between the Independent Education Union (IEU) and Victoria Catholic Education.

The union’s application for a single interest authorisation (SIA) commenced at the Fair Work Commission on Tuesday, marking the largest SIA application ever attempted by a union.

If approved, the SIA would allow union members to bargain collectively for a single agreement to cover all Victorian Catholic education staff. It would also reinstate teachers’ right to protected industrial action.

More than 20,000 staff have signed statements supporting the SIA.

St Ignatius College teacher Tyran Dillon said Victoria continues to make decisions that are not in the best interest of teachers.

“Victorian Catholic Education staff are the only educators in the entire country without the industrial rights to fight for what we deserve and for what ultimately benefits our students the most: well paid, well treated, professional educators,” Dillon said.

He said teachers were under increasing workload and wellbeing pressures, and argued the SIA would allow Victorian Catholic school staff to bargain on the same footing as their interstate counterparts.

St Margaret’s Primary School teacher Gabrielle Costa, who has worked in Catholic education for 11 years, said previous agreements had failed to recognise work completed outside school hours.

She urged fellow Catholic education staff to support the SIA, arguing educators should be guided by the same values they teach in the classroom.

“In Catholic education, we teach our students the importance of justice, dignity and equity,” Costa said.

“We encourage them to stand up for what is right and to advocate for those whose voices are not being heard.

“As educators, we must be prepared to do the same – for ourselves, for our colleagues and for the future of our profession.”

The pressures are not only being felt in primary schools.

Sacred Heart College teacher Deborah Bohan described the situation as “incredibly grim”.

She said exhaustion was increasing, with teachers being forced to take time away from the classroom to cope.

The Fair Work Commission hearing is expected to run until 26 June.

If the SIA is not granted, union members will continue to negotiate under a multi-employer agreement.