Jim H.
The hard work and dedication of Victoria’s
teachers and their union has forced an in-principle agreement with the
Victorian Government. At the time of writing the details of the agreement are
yet to be released and it is yet to be voted on by AEU members.
- Salary increases of between 16.1 - 20.5 per
cent for all teachers
- 17 - 19.6 per cent for all principals
- 12 - 17.1 per cent for all education support
staff
- A one-off lump sum payment of $1000 for all
staff
- A new process to monitor the level of contract
employment across schools
- Education support staff to now receive an
additional two weeks of annual leave per year
- Integration aides can now be employed on
contracts of up to 7 years
- Education staff positions, with the exception
of 6 week casual vacancies, will now be advertised (currently
approximately 50 per cent of positions are not advertised).
Despite
this, the union maintains that what has been won is in line with what has been
won in the public and private sectors in Victoria in recent times.
It is
testimony to the correctness of the union strategy based on fighting a
protracted battle aimed at winning over public opinion and putting pressure on state
government politicians.
At a
time when the boss is in the business of smashing up the public school system,
looking for excuses to cut more funding and sacking teachers by their thousands
in order to turn over as much as possible to private providers, it is a
significant struggle.
Making
it politically difficult for the government to move forward on its real agenda
was always going to be the best strategy. And this was achieved by running a
community campaign in combination with bans on the job.
The
achievement of today does not mean that the world stands still at this point.
The fight to win better conditions and to improve the quality of the education
system is an ongoing one.
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