CATHOLIC school teachers were due to have stopped work during the week as negotiations over increased wages and workload pressures remained at a stalemate.
More than 6300 Catholic school union members in 177 schools across Queensland were to stop work for two hours on Thursday (October 22) between 11am and 1pm.
The strike was organised through the Independent Education Union of Australia’s Queensland Northern Territory Branch over concerns about the workload and wages of Catholic teachers.
The union has claimed Queensland Catholic employing authorities did not care about increased workloads or how they could be managed.
The Queensland Catholic Education Commission and the union have spent the past seven months negotiating issues on wages and workload.
QCEC executive director Dr Lee-Anne Perry said the wage offer to school staff was fair in current market conditions.
“While there are a number of issues that remain unresolved, the constructive nature of the discussions is encouraging and employers remain committed to negotiating a fair and responsible outcome,” she said.
“Employers have continued to listen to the concerns of employees and have further amended their position on a number of significant workload issues.”
Employers have offered a wage increase from 2.2 per cent to 2.5 per cent annually over three years.
“Teachers in Queensland government schools have, from September 1 this year, received the equivalent of a 2.5 per cent increase,” Dr Perry said.
“The wage offer from Catholic school employers ensures that the wages of our staff keep pace with employees in state schools.
“This increase, including back pay, can be paid as soon as the agreement is successfully balloted.
“I am hopeful this will be able to occur before Christmas.”
Dr Perry said last Thursday’s strike “was not expected to cause major changes to the running of the school day at participating schools”.
The next meeting between QCEC and the union is scheduled for Tuesday (October 27).
Union branch secretary Terry Burke said Catholic school employees were concerned not only for themselves but also the impact on the quality of education for their students.
Mr Burke said Catholic employing authorities would be given an opportunity to address unresolved negotiations.
“Further negotiations are scheduled for late October and these meetings are an opportunity for the employers to show that they do in fact care about their employees’ concerns and to propose meaningful measures to address the issues of workload and ensure comparable wage levels (to interstate colleagues),” he said.
– Emilie Ng
