TAFE EB10 Bulletin no.7 21 June 2019 | Download PDF
VOTE YES in the QTU’s TAFE EB10 protected action ballot
Members of the QTU’s TAFE Division working in TAFE Queensland are urged to cast a vote in the TAFE EB10 protected action ballot, and the QTU strongly encourages members to VOTE YES.
The current certified agreement expires on 30 June, but TAFE Queensland is yet to table an offer that addresses four threshold issues that our TAFE Council elected delegates from across the state determined would be triggers for industrial action.
Voting YES in the QTU’s protected action ballot will help the QTU negotiate for increased pay, improved access to permanent employment, and address programming issues to mitigate increasing workload.
We know that the QTU’s protected action ballot is already making a difference. Since the ballot opened, TAFE Queensland has referred the matter of a new salary classification for higher education to a joint working party. Prior to the ballot opening, the QTU had repeatedly asked for a copy of the review of higher education pilot that should have been completed in 2018.
To add your voice to the QTU’s EB10 protected action ballot and support QTU negotiations around pay, permanency and programming, log on to the myQTU portal and VOTE YES in the EB10 ballot. To cast your vote:
1. Visit www.qtu.asn.au and click myQTU to login to the myQTU portal
2. Enter your membership number and password
3. Click on the green button “Manage your membership”
4. Click the link “To enter or view ballot results” at the top of the screen
5. Click YES / NO in response to the question
6. Click submit.
Once you have cast your vote and hit the SUBMIT button, your response will be sent to the QTU. You will not be able to vote again, and you will not be able to change your vote.
Voting is open to financial members of the QTU’s TAFE Division working in TAFE Queensland only. If you have concerns about your membership status, please contact membership@qtu.asn.au
|
Three Ps of EB10 |
QTU position |
Employer position |
|
Pay |
Salaries that achieve comparability with interstate colleagues |
Not prepared to negotiate above government wages policy, which remains fixed at 2.5 per cent. |
|
Gender employment equity, including:
|
No negotiating position has been formally tabled in negotiations on the matter of gender employment equity. |
|
|
Inclusion of higher education positions in the certified agreement |
Following the opening of the protected industrial action ballot, which identifies higher education as a trigger for protected industrial action, a joint working party convened to consider this matter. |
|
|
Inclusion of educational team leader positions in the certified agreement |
A joint working party has been undertaking a review of the TAFE Queensland Award and certified agreement on this matter. |
|
|
|
||
| Permanency |
Temporary employees who have been continuously employed in the same role will be engaged as permanent after two years |
Continuing to negotiate on a process of converting temporary employees to permanent. |
|
Temporary employment only to occur in circumstances of a short-term vacancy |
Continuing to negotiate on a process of converting temporary employees to permanent. |
|
|
Casual employees who have been engaged for periods of six months will be offered temporary contracts |
Not accepted but continuing to negotiate. |
|
|
Gender employment equity, including reducing the period of service temporary teachers require to ensure a parental leave break will not impact on their eligibility for conversion to permanency from two years to one year |
No negotiating position has been formally tabled in negotiations. |
|
|
|
||
|
Programming |
Factors to mitigate increasing workload |
Current certified agreement includes dispute resolution process and consultative provisions. |
|
Workload audit tool |
A workload audit tool has been rejected. |
|
|
Joint statement on workload |
Commitments to be undertaken during the lifetime of the agreement, like joint statements, will be revisited. |
|
|
Recognition of workplace conditions associated with online teaching |
No negotiating position has been formally tabled in negotiations. |
|
|
Formalisation of processes to review class sizes |
No negotiating position has been formally tabled in negotiations. |
|
|
Release time to be included in programming, recognising the additional work undertaken by health and safety reps, sexual harassment officers, and union reps |
Sexual harassment officers have been rejected by the employer, but no negotiating position has been formally tabled in negotiations on the matter of allocating release time for workplace representatives. |
|
EB10 in the media
The QTU is aware of media reports on the state of negotiations. The QTU is disappointed that the matters raised in the reports have not been presented to the QTU in formal negotiations, and will be seeking clarification from TAFE Queensland during our next formal meeting.
The QTU continues campaigning to address workload
At its 1 June meeting, TAFE Council delegates, representing branch members from across the state, reaffirmed ongoing workload concerns arising from the implementation of TAFE Queensland’s SMS portal. Council carried a motion calling on QTU Senior Officers to seek an urgent meeting with TAFE Queensland to seek guarantees that the SMS will be fully operational and user-friendly by the end of 2019.
On 14 June, following the formal meeting of the EB10 single bargaining unit, QTU President Kevin Bates raised QTU member concerns directly with the CEO, adding that if the matter remains unresolved by the end of 2019, the QTU will pursue work intensification arising from SMS with the Minister.
QTU DATE CLAIMER
TAFE Division members
Join us on 3 July in Brisbane
at the QTU rally for
increased pay and improved working conditions
| Graham Moloney General Secretary |
Craig Wood Research Officer - Industrial Advocate |