State Council Report: 25 May 2024
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 4, 7 June 2024, page 6.
QTU State Council was convened at the Voco Hotel in Brisbane on Saturday 25 May.
Elections
The Electoral Commission of Queensland conducted two ballots, with Jenny Swadling elected to the position of QTU Trustee and Tom McCartney elected to QTU Executive.
Valuing Our Profession
Council was provided with the legal advice Executive sought when considering an appeal against orders issued by the Deputy President of the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission and discussed feedback from members post the week of action ballot. Members and workplace representatives were acknowledged for the work they did in generating more than 28,000 votes in the ballot. A report was also provided on the campaign’s outcomes.
Teacher shortage crisis
Council received updates on action taken by members in workplaces with critical teacher shortages. The QTU is supporting members who are commencing industrial disputes where schools are short staffed, as well as using the issues resolution process from the Work Health and Safety Act 2011 where inadequate staffing impacts on the safety of members. A report was provided on the protest actions of members at North Rockhampton SHS and Sarina SHS.
Farewell to Elissa Ferguson
Council formally farewelled QTU Organiser Elissa Ferguson who was appointed as the Organiser for North Queensland nine years ago before moving to serve as Organiser for Metropolitan West Logan. Elissa’s service to the QTU followed her teaching career in North and Far North Queensland.
QTU Officer appointment
Council endorsed the appointment of Chris Shevelling as QTU Assistant Secretary Industrial/Legal Officer. Chris has been acting in this role since the beginning of the year. His substantive role with DoE is as a secondary deputy principal, and he recently served as acting principal at James Nash SHS in Gympie.
Teacher housing
The QTU State Accommodation Committee sponsored a number of resolutions providing direct input into the QTU’s state election campaign asks, including seeking funding for additional units of accommodation and for additional incentives, including free rent for members working in regional and remote centres. The committee also sought to formalise engagement with the Ministers for Education and Public Works and the opposition spokespeople for these portfolios, to discuss key teacher accommodation matters.
TAFE report
TAFE Division reported on concerns raised by members about the “Teacher AI bots” being proposed by TAFE Queensland and the impact this could have on the teaching profession across TAFE, as well as in schools.
Winning For Members
QTU members Emily Potts and Troy Hall shared their personal stories, which were used during the Queensland Council of Unions’ “It’s for Every Body” campaign seeking access to reproductive leave as part of employment conditions. On Labour Day, the Queensland Premier announced that as of September 2024, all Queensland public servants will have access to ten days (non-cumulative) of paid reproductive leave. The QTU will be working with DoE and TAFE Queensland to ensure a new public service directive covering the leave can be operationalised in schools and TAFE.
NEN report
Participants in the 2024 New Educator Network (NEN) training programme provided a report on their online and face-to-face training and planning for the projects they will work on for the remainder of the year.
EB11
Council received a report on the resourcesdeveloped by the QTU to assist members with the EB11 claim development process. A total of 23 branches and area councils have so far met to deliberate on proposals for inclusion in the EB11 log of claims. A draft log of claims will be considered by the QTU Executive on 8 July and presented to Council at the next meeting on 10 August. The QTU log of claims development process has been brought forward by six months so it can be finalised before the state election in October.
Professional issues
Council called on the department to review all STEM sponsorship arrangements in state schools that involve firms that manufacture weapons, and committed to protecting members who refuse to promote or participate in programs sponsored by or associated with weapons manufacturing companies implicated in war activities and war crimes.