IM Bulletin - Term 3, August 2021
Instrumental Music Bulletin - Term 3, August 2021
QTU’s log of claims for MOA review
Instrumental music teachers and instructors are covered by a suite of industrial legislation and instruments, including the Public Service Act 2008, Work Health and Safety Act 2011, Industrial Relations Act 2016, and of course the 2016 award and 2019 certified agreement.
Next year, the QTU will formally commence bargaining with the Department of Education for a new certified agreement. Before that, however, the QTU and the Department of Education will review and renegotiate the Memorandum of Agreement for Instrumental Music Teachers and Instructors (the MOA).
Last term, more than 200 QTU members, employed in every region across the state, participated in our online survey for a replacement MOA. Member responses to the survey informed the log of claims that the QTU will take into the MOA negotiations.
Member responses determined the following issues as priorities for a new MOA:
- QCT registration of instrumental music teachers
- Workload issues, such as curriculum, moderation, collegial engagement, and parent-teacher interviews
- Travel time, and time off in lieu (TOIL) or non-attendance time in recognition of the additional hours of duty worked by instrumental music teachers/instructors
- Instrumental music coordinators and program administrative support
- Facilities
- Consultative mechanism for instrumental music teachers/instructors.
Members might also recall that, after the current MOA was negotiated, the department and the QTU agreed to the joint communique as an addendum to the MOA. Member responses to our recent survey indicated that the top six matters in the joint communique that should be rolled into a new MOA were:
- Working conditions of a fulltime IMI/T, such as hours of duty and incidental duties
- IMI/Ts are not required to attend staff meetings
- Base school principals and Regional Music Coordinators (RMC) will be aware of their responsibilities in making decisions that impact on the working conditions of IMI/Ts
- The department will provide additional resources to support the implementation of the Queensland Instrumental Music Curriculum (QIMC)
- Collegial engagement models of observation and feedback should be the subject of consultation and agreements with the teaching staff
- A non-teaching day will be scheduled in term 2 for the purposes of planning and implementing curriculum requirements for QCAA students.
MOA progress reports will be provided in future Instrumental Music Bulletins. Supplementary bulletins will be issued, if and when the need arises.
Your rights at work: student free days
There is a total of six student free days in 2021, which all permanent (full and part-time) teachers must attend.
The two days at the end of the summer vacation (Thursday 21 and Friday 22 January) were fixed.
Monday 25 January was in additional but flexible student free day, and there have been two other flexible student free days, on Thursday 15 and Friday 16 April. The third last Friday of Term 3 (Friday 3 September) can also become a flexible student free day.
The local consultative committee of your base school will have made decisions about when these flexible student free days will occur and the types of professional activities that will be undertaken.
For clarity, the joint communique provides the department and the QTU’s position on collegial engagement related to the student free days. The joint communique states,
The parties agree that models of observation and feedback should be the subject of consultation with teaching staff and that the consultation process must involve consideration by the local consultative committee (LCC). The parties acknowledge that an Instrumental Music Teacher's or Instructor's base school principal is identified as their line manager. Consequently, participating in collegial engagement at a base school is appropriate, where Instrumental Music Teachers and Instructors have the opportunity to be involved in the consultative processes via their base school's LCC. If Instrumental Music Teachers and Instructors, through a process of consultation and agreement with their base school principal, choose to participate in regional professional development, this may be in lieu of scheduled base school professional development. Instrumental Music Teachers and Instructors are not expected to participate in collegial engagement in more than one workplace.
QCT registration – the beat goes on
The QTU Biennial Conference consists of two elected delegates from every branch throughout the states. This year, Queensland Minister for Education Grace Grace delivered a keynote address and then took questions. Nicole Elkins formally raised the matter of QCT registration from the floor of Conference, and informally followed up with the Minister outside of the venue. Since that time, QTU General Secretary Kate Ruttiman has again raised the matter with the Minister. We know that the matter is on the Minister’s radar but, as we noted in the Term 2 Instrumental Music Bulletin, one of the most needed ingredients to resolve this, frustratingly, is time.
COVID update
Vaccinations
Following months of QTU advocacy on members’ behalf, earlier this month the Premier announced that teachers, school leaders and other school employees have been moved into category 1b for the COVID-19 vaccine. This is a positive outcome and recognition that the members of our profession are essential workers.
While the pandemic leave directive does not extend to vaccination leave, school leaders will be encouraged to support members in accessing the vaccine. The department is encouraging school leaders to consider flexible timetabling, subject to school needs, and to employ casual relief staff to cover teachers who need to attend vaccination bookings during school hours. Subject to local arrangements, school leaders will also be able to approve flexible hours to accommodate early morning or late afternoon bookings. Members will also be able to use personal leave to receive the vaccine, if necessary.
Border residents
In an extraordinary decision, the state government and the Chief Health Officer (CHO) have declared that teachers who work in Queensland but live in NSW are not essential workers and will therefore not be allowed to cross the now-closed border.
This disappointing announcement amounts to an insult to the sacrifice and commitment these teachers have shown throughout this pandemic. It is particularly jarring as it comes just a week after the Premier announced that frontline teachers would rightly move to the front of the vaccination queue.
We understand the need to keep Queenslanders safe during this pandemic. However, part of keeping students safe is ensuring that there are teachers available to teach them and that things remain as close to normal as possible for them. It’s also about ensuring the wellbeing of our school leaders and teachers.
We have written to the CHO and the and the Queensland Premier asking them to revise their decision.
Click here to visit the QTU website for more QTU COVID updates.
Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064