TAFE EB11 Bulletin No. 3, 24 April 2023 | Open PDF 

TO: QTU TAFE MEMBERS 

QTU calls on TAFE Queensland to reduce the impact of cost of living pressures

After the Easter holiday, the QTU, TAFE Queensland and the Queensland Government’s Office of Industrial Relations have resumed good faith negotiations for a new TAFE Educators certified agreement. The focus of this week’s meeting included the QTU log of claims, which calls for measures to reduce the impact of cost of living pressures.

The Queensland Council of Unions (QCU) is the peak body for trade unions in this state, and Kate Ruttiman, our General Secretary, is also the QCU President. Last year, negotiations led by public sector unions and the QCU achieved changes to government wages policy, and our school sector members were among the first cohort of employees to benefit. They received increases of from 2.5 per cent per annum to 4 per cent in the first year of a new agreement, 4 per cent in the second year, and 3 per cent in the final year, as well as a cost of living allowance (COLA). The COLA applies when inflation is higher than 4 per cent. For example, if salary increases are 4 per cent, but inflation is 6 per cent, an additional one-off payment of 2 per cent will be paid to employees. The COLA component of the Queensland Government Wages Policy is explained on the Department of Education’s webpage.

At last week’s meeting of the single bargaining unit, the QTU demonstrated the financial gap between our claim to reduce the impact of cost of living pressures and applying the Government Wages Policy to TAFE Educators.

With no agreement reached, measures to reduce the impact of cost of living pressures will be relisted.

TAFE Queensland has 68 days to provide an acceptable offer in response to the QTU’s log of claims.

Authorised by:

Kate Ruttiman
General Secretary

 Authorised by Kate Ruttiman, General Secretary, Queensland Teachers' Union
21 Graham Street, Milton, QLD, Australia, 4064