No. 15-23, 1 December 2023 | Open PDF 

TO: QTU MEMBERS

Attraction and retention payments – TR2 and TR3 schools

Following the first retention payments under clause 4.15.9 of the Department of Education State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022 (the agreement), the QTU has sought to finalise the discussions relating to the schools eligible for attraction payments. This process has been extensive and has required schools to provide a business case demonstrating that they meet the criteria for payment.

A panel consisting of two members of central office HR, the regional HRBP (director) or delegate, the relevant QTU Organiser and another QTU officer, has developed a list of schools eligible for payment in 2023. The QTU is currently advocating for payment to be made to the additional schools by the end of 2023. The Department of Education has today requested an urgent meeting with QTU Senior Officers prior to any decision being made in relation to this payment. The QTU will continue to advise members in affected schools of any developments.

Teacher-aides and SFD week - (Monday 15 to Friday 19 January 2024)

The department contacted teacher-aides this week to inform them that they are required to attend professional development on 18 and 19 January 2024. In addition, where determined via the school’s LCC, they can be required to work a third day in the student free day week.

Where schools, through consultation and via their LCC, are intending to schedule additional full or part-day activities for teacher-aides on the other days in the week (i.e. not PD days), the actual time worked must be credited as accrued days off (ADOs).

A request to work on any non-required PD day during this week must be reasonable, and a teacher-aide cannot be required to attend as these are provisional ADO days.

The ADO credit applies to the 2023 ADO planner and must be taken in accordance with clause 9.3 of the Department of Education Teacher Aides’ Certified Agreement 2022. That is, the ADO is to be taken within 6 months or it will be paid out to the teacher-aide in June 2024 at ordinary time rates of pay (on a time for time basis).

ADO arrangements cease to operate after 17 January 2024. However, the certified agreement acknowledges some teacher-aides may have a credit, and therefore provides for any ADO credit to be taken within 6 months or it will be paid out.

ADO credit in Week 0 of 2024 is applicable for work performed, irrespective of whether the teacher-aide is receiving their normal salary on the day concerned or not.

Attraction and retention criteria

QTU Executive has recently endorsed the final criteria for clause 4.15.10 “Expatriate attraction and retention payment” of the Department of Education State School Teachers’ Certified Agreement 2022. The implementation of this clause has been considered by the Certified Agreement Implementation Committee (CAIC) throughout 2023. The payment is a one-off lump-sum payment of $2,000, intended to attract expat teachers returning to Australia to teach in Queensland state schools in locations where they are most needed. For further information about the eligibility criteria, please contact services@qtu.asn.au

Ongoing support for AVTs 

The QTU has been in dispute with the department over its handling of the scrapping of advisory visiting teachers (AVTs) in the old Metro region. Following lengthy discussions and negotiations at the recent Dispute Resolution Committee meeting, the department has committed to implementing support for those individual QTU members directly impacted. Work on this support will be ongoing, and the QTU will be carefully monitoring it as we head into the end of the school year.

The department has also committed to developing clear guidelines to support future consultation, communication and implementation of large departmental initiatives, which will assist QTU members working in regional and central offices. These guidelines will be drafted during January and provided to the first meeting of QTU Executive in 2024.

Flexible work arrangements

Term 4 has seen an increase in QTU member queries about flexible work arrangements (FWAs). “Operational or occupational requirements of the school’ or similar are frequently cited as reasonable grounds for the denial of FWA requests, however the QTU has challenged the department on what this means for members. Employees in workplaces have industrial entitlements, regardless of which school they happen to work in.

To be clear, the department has an obligation to actively work with employees to help find fair and reasonable solutions that balance work and personal needs, while also managing operational requirements. Many members have been confronted by a particularly challenging barrier when negotiating their FWA request, i.e. “For our school to accommodate your FWA request, you will have to work half-days.”

This statement has been challenged by the QTU. By claiming that a member “has to work half-days”, these schools are failing to recognise that the rostering of teachers or classified officers for half-days (2.5 hours rostered duty time) may occur only at the specific request of the employee, or in exceptional circumstances.

This is not the QTU’s view, it is a fact. We have advocated for the provision of clear advice to support members who are navigating FWA requests, be they be applicants or decision-makers. While the Award does state that half-days are allowable, they are not the only way for a school to accommodate an FWA.

The department has committed to updating its advice to all employees on their obligations regarding FWA requests.

For further information, you can read more on our website or the department’s Flexible work arrangements procedure.

Farewell remote schools

Kate Ruttiman

General Secretary

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