Independent Public Schools

QTU State Council has identified five non-negotiable elements for any agreement on the implementation of Independent Public schools (IPS).

At its meeting on May 12, Council voted to set the following conditions on Union agreement for any future IPS agreement.

1. Guarantees regarding the program to be included in the certified agreement
2. Funds allocated for staffing to be used for staffing (a guarantee achieved through the Leading Schools dispute)
3. Notional rather than real dollar allocations for staffing
4. Maintenance of a viable transfer/relocation system
5. No spills/no contracts for principals.

Executive has been authorised to add further conditions to the list e.g. around local recruitment of staff

The decision follows on from two principal actions that the Union has undertaken in the wake of the election of the LNP government.

• Principal Union Representatives have conducted meetings of principals around the state to identify issues and concerns with the proposal, using information and materials from WA.  
• QTU General Secretary, Graham Moloney, has been meeting with the department to clarify the proposals and seek answers on the issues identified.

The LNP policy for the creation of 120 Independent Public Schools over four years was initially expected to include a “single-line budget”, which threatened pay, conditions, job security and school resources, and “local hiring” which threatened the transfer and relocation system and the staff of rural and remote schools.

However, the government has since clarified its policy, confirming that it wants a model as close as possible to the Western Australian model.  While this removes some concerns, many remain and clarification is required.

A more fundamental question remains.  Queensland schools have been using many of the ideas associated with the implementation of IPS in WA for more than 15 years.  They have probably been the second most autonomous schools in the country.  There is still no causal link in research between school management autonomy and student outcomes.   So why are these 120 schools being selected and what about the effect on the other 1,200?

Please note that we are currently identifying areas in which forums have not taken place.  We will then be organising forums in these areas so that principals have an opportunity to participate and have their say.

Enterprise Bargaining

The QTU is calling area meetings around the state to update members on the state government's failure to engage in negotiations for a new certified agreement and to discuss the Union's response. 

The meetings will commence in the week commencing 28 May. For more details, click here.

A new enterprise bargaining agreement in schools is due on 1 July.  The QTU finalised and forwarded its schools claim in November last year.  Meetings started earlier this year and negotiations for a replacement agreement were due to commence no later than 1 April.

As of last week, the government still has no wages policy and has not approved a list of issues that the department is to negotiate with the QTU. We do know that the government has a policy of restricting public sector wages growth to 3 per cent per annum, but this comes from a combination of pay increases, additional employees as a result of growth or election promises and job losses.  There is no guarantee of even a 3% per annum pay increase.

The head of public sector wage bargaining, has informed the QTU that the government will make a “generous pay offer” in return for the removal of “complicating provisions” from agreements.  What that means in practice is unclear.

Enough is enough!

Please encourage as many QTU members in your schools to attend these area meetings.  You will receive details of the area meetings in your region shortly.

QTU Education Leaders Conference : Date Claimer 

The QTU Education Leaders Conference will be held on Friday 26 October at the Brisbane Convention Centre.