TAFE EB11 Bulletin No. 5, 8 May 2023 | Open PDF 

TO:  QTU TAFE MEMBERS 

QTU negotiators revisit call for TAFE Queensland to reduce cost of living pressures

At last week’s meeting of the single bargaining unit, the QTU revisited our demand, as included in the log of claims, for TAFE Queensland to reduce the impact of cost of living pressures like historically high rates of inflation by delivering salary increases across the life of a new agreement. 

The QTU understands that the Queensland Government, through the Office of Industrial Relations, does not support TAFE Queensland agreeing to any salary claim that exceeds Government Wages Policy. That means three annual pay increases of four per cent, four per cent, and three per cent in the final year.

The QTU understands that this year, TAFE services employees (whose current agreement commenced in 2022) will be eligible for a three per cent COLA payment. A cost of living adjustment (COLA) is a non-recurrent payment made when annual inflation (measured at March Quarter, Brisbane CPI) exceeds the base wage increase in an agreement year. However, the Queensland Government Wages Policy states that TAFE educators will not be eligible for such a COLA payment until 2024. This presents an unacceptable employee equity gap.

As a result of the differing cycles of the TAFE services and TAFE educators certified agreements, the QTU also notes that in 2022, TAFE services employees received a four per cent salary increase, whereas educators increase was 2.5 per cent.

Further to our EB Bulletin No. 3, the QTU has noted that there is a clear gap between our claim to reduce cost of living pressures, and the Government Wages Policy.

With no agreement reached, the QTU has asked that measures to reduce the impact cost of living pressures will be relisted. Again.

TAFE Queensland has 53 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