QTU Members' newsflash No. 1-23, 19 January 2023 | Open PDF | Open attachment
TO: QTU MEMBERS
Welcome back to 2023!
As you return to work today for the first gazetted student free day, we wanted to take the opportunity to welcome you back. We hope you had a restful break and are ready for another year making a difference to our profession and the lives of the students you teach.
And if you are new to our profession, welcome! Ours is the profession that makes all others – whatever path students choose to take after school, we help prepare them.
Union priorities 2023
Over the next few days, members in schools will be working together in preparation for the coming year, so we thought it was also important to outline your Union’s priorities for 2023.
In 2021, QTU Biennial Conference determined the Union’s core priority as restoring respect for our profession through:
- providing genuine professional autonomy for all members
- addressing occupational violence
- achieving workload reduction
- providing healthy and safe workplaces that are free from harassment and discrimination.
At the end of last year, QTU Executive determined that in 2023 this priority could be achieved as follows.
Campaigning for healthy and safe workplaces and improving working conditions
This means continuing our Respect at Work strategy of taking steps to address and prevent occupational violence, and for those members in the school sector, implementing the new certified agreement. The agreement was certified on 15 December last year, and the salary increases (with back pay) are due to be paid on 25 January. The QTU has also been advised of the dates for the RoRRs payments, with the first payment occurring in March this year.
This week, some members will already have accessed one of the new initiatives of the agreement – three hours of student free days to be used at their own discretion. Further information regarding the initiatives from EB that you can expect in 2023 can be found attached or on our EB10 webpage.
In TAFE, the focus will be on EB11 negotiations, which should commence towards the end of this term. Discussions with CQU regarding a new agreement also continue.
Advocating for and growing our membership
This includes continuing our campaign to address the teacher shortage by promoting the profession and ensuring the incentives built into the certified agreement are realised. New teachers should be supported through induction programs, with the new agreement providing two days of TRS for Turn to Teaching mentors. Members can also access professional development and learning through the Union‘s professional development arm, QuEST. It also means having a voice in the resourcing review and ensuring that the mechanisms in the agreement to address workload are known and accessed by members. It’s also about advocating for permanency in both the school and TAFE sectors.
Reconciliation – Voice Treaty Truth
The QTU is committed to being an active participant in the Voice referendum and the continued implementation of the QTU’s Reconciliation Action Plan.
Member care – respecting our diversity and unifying our membership
The QTU will continue to implement its statement of safety and respect in all our interactions with members and each other. We encourage our Union Reps and members to ensure that meetings and interactions are free from all forms of harassment and racism. This will be important as we campaign with our First Nations colleagues and communities this year, but also if we are to attract and retain new entrants to our profession. We must call out racism and harassment when we see it. The QTU will be bringing to members' attention changes to workplace health and safety laws, including those that require a focus on psychological safety and call out discrimination at work. Likewise, we need to celebrate each other’s work. If we don’t celebrate all the great things we as teachers, school leaders and TAFE educators do, then who will?
Strengthening our Union
The QTU prides itself on being the only union for Queensland state school teachers, school leaders and TAFE. The collective strength of 48,000 members is what allows us to make a difference to member working conditions, and therefore student learning conditions. Think what we can achieve as our membership grows.
Union democracy at work
As well as implementing these priorities, the QTU will also convene its Biennial Conference this year. This is the major decision-making body of the QTU, with more than 250 delegates from across the state attending to shape the policy and direction of the Union over the next two years. Nominations for State Council and Conference opened last year, and further nominations will be called for unfilled positions in the first Journal of the year.
Thank you for the work that you will do this year for the students you teach and as members of the QTU - we cannot make a difference for students without protecting and improving our working conditions. We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2023.
Dues reminder To remain a financial member of the Union, membership dues must be paid by 31 March 2023. Last year, we introduced fortnightly direct debit to help members remain financial and have confidence in their ability to access the support they need. Members who wish to change to direct debit can make this request through MyQTU or by calling our Membership Support team. If you are new to teaching, or you have been meaning to do what teachers and school leaders do and join the QTU, you can do so by scanning the attached QR code. The QTU has been the professional, legal and industrial voice of Queensland’s teachers and school leaders in state schools and TAFE for more than 130 years. |
Authorised by:
Kate Ruttiman
General Secretary
Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064