EB11 – TAFE teachers are the heart of great
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 128 No 3, 5 May 2023, page no. 19
QTU officers are engaging in good faith negotiations with TAFE Queensland to advance our log of claims, because we recognise that TAFE makes great happen, and that teachers are the heart of the great!
Good faith bargaining
Section 173 of the Industrial Relations Act 2016 establishes good faith bargaining protocols, which require the parties to:
- attend and participate in bargaining meetings
- disclose relevant information in a timely way
- genuinely consider proposals made by other parties
- not engage in capricious or unfair conduct that undermines freedom of association or the collective bargaining process.
Peace obligation period
Section 174 of the act provides for a peace obligation period to assist negotiations. The peace obligation period commenced on the date the notice of intention for negotiations was given. This notice was an exchange of correspondence between Kate Ruttiman (QTU General Secretary) and Mary Campbell (TAFE CEO), which took place on 3 March. The peace obligation period ends on the nominal expiry date of the existing certified agreement, which is 30 June. During the peace obligation period, the parties cannot take industrial action for the purpose of supporting or advancing claims made in the cause of negotiations.
Protected industrial action
Outside of the peace obligation period (ie after 30 June), protected industrial action can be undertaken to support or advance claims made in relation to the proposal for a new certified agreement. Prior to taking protected industrial action, section 235 of the act requires the QTU to make an application to the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission. The QTU can make an application if a majority of employees participating in a protected industrial action ballot support the taking of industrial action, and any proposed action occurs outside of the peace obligation period.
Advancing the QTU log of claims
The QTU’s EB11 log of claims is arranged in three parts (see below). A complete copy of our QTU log of claims is available as a member-only document on the QTU website at www.qtu.asn.au/tafe-eb11
Respecting | Reducing | Recognising |
Great teachers Teacher professionalism Working conditions for online, virtual, hybrid, blended and face-to-face modes of delivery Higher educators |
Cost of living pressures Workload Administrative burdens |
Fairness Secure employment Professional development Occupational health and safety |
The parties to negotiations for a replacement TAFE Educators Certified Agreement are TAFE, QTU and Together. In accordance with good faith bargaining, a weekly schedule of meetings has been agreed to and, at the time of writing, there is a commitment to genuinely consider proposals made by other parties.
Continuing QTU member engagement
The current meeting schedule lists 22 June as the final meeting. The QTU Biennial Conference, which is comprised of more than 250 elected members from throughout Queensland, including our TAFE Division, will receive a report and recommend appropriate actions. TAFE Division members, elected to QTU TAFE Executive and QTU TAFE Council, will be receiving progress reports prior to the Conference. QTU members can follow the progress of supporting or advancing our claims via TAFE EB11 Bulletins that are uploaded to www.qtu.asn.au/tafe-eb11 after each meeting of the single bargaining unit.