Interesting times ahead: State Election and EB11 campaigns converge
Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 129 No 7, 27 September 2024, page 11.
Delegates at August State Council endorsed an interest based bargaining approach that focusses on developing mutually beneficial agreements to address often complex issues, rather than focusing on an oppositional “win or lose” fixed position.
This type of bargaining acknowledges that there are multiple ways to achieve wins on member priorities.
Council endorsed the following five key interest areas.
- Remuneration that recognises the professional qualifications of members.
- Attracting and retaining teachers and school leaders.
- Implementing the Comprehensive Review of School Resourcing.
- Supporting teachers and school leaders as professionals.
- Fair and safe workplaces.
Delegates also endorsed a set of State Election asks that contain key elements of our asks in EB, remembering of course that official EB negotiations cannot officially commence until January next year, six months before the expiry of the current certified agreement on 30 June 2025.
We need a compression of the salary scale to enable Queensland teachers to get to the top of the scale more quickly (in seven years, like in NSW), and removal of the barriers at the senior teacher, EST 1, and EST 2 levels so that those steps become automatic salary increments.
The QTU and its members want our teachers and school leaders to be the highest paid in Australia. When comparing the steps on the pay scale, there will be a need for differential increases to achieve the title of highest paid for beginning teachers, ESTs, school leaders, and HAT and lead teachers.
In EB10, through the interest based bargaining process, the government offered us a deal that ensured that Queensland beginning teachers were the highest paid in Australia. Since then, Victoria, NSW and the Northern Territory have all finalised their EB negotiations and have attained higher salaries for beginning teachers.
Next year, when bargaining officially begins, we will be able to leverage off the wins that teacher unions in other states and territories have gained, to achieve the best possible salary outcomes for members.
Adopting an interest-based approach to bargaining will enable us to be agile and take advantage of developments across the nation between now and 1 July next year.
It is not all about salary though. Prospective employees want other incentives and benefits to help attract them to the profession.
In a time of teacher shortage crisis, we also desperately need to retain existing teachers and school leaders in our state system, particularly in regional, rural, and remote areas.
In the lead up to the state election, we have already seen a flurry of positive state government announcements, including free housing in specific locations and increased attraction and retention payments for those working in a number of Transfer Rating 2 and 3 schools in rural and remote locations.
The QTU wants the department to consider other incentives, such as payment of HELP debt, payment of kilometric allowances in certain areas, free internet and electricity in teacher housing, and more.
We know that some Queensland Health workers will be receiving a one-off payment of $20,000 for moving to certain metropolitan and regional locations and completing 12 months, while the Queensland Police Service is offering $20,000 to police officers relocating from other jurisdictions and up to $20,000 in payments towards higher education debt.
These are the types of additional attraction and retention incentives that we need our current and aspirational politicians to be promising for teachers and school leaders in the lead up to the Queensland State Election.
Ahead of the election on 26 October, QTU members will be meeting with sitting members of parliament, members of the opposition, and candidates of all political parties, to outline what is needed to attract and retain teachers and school leaders in their local area.
It is vital that we seek commitments around our election asks, aimed at recognising and valuing our profession, in the lead up to EB negotiations in 2025. To access the QTU website click Home :: QTU .