Members of the Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania will take protected industrial action from 12.05pm to 3.50pm on Thursday, including a 1pm rally at the College’s Yirramboi Campus.
The action follows more than six months of negotiations for a replacement Enterprise Agreement and the rejection by IEU members of the College’s latest wage proposal.
Overnewton’s latest offer would see employees at the P-12 school fall behind comparable staff in Victorian government schools during the life of the proposed Agreement, in some cases by thousands of dollars per year.
The college has historically paid salaries above comparable government-school rates and IEU members say maintaining competitive wages and conditions is essential if the College wants to attract and retain experienced teachers and education support staff.
The dispute is also about workload. Members are seeking clear, enforceable protections around teachers’ working hours, planning and preparation time, meetings, yard duty and other employer-directed work – protections reflecting standards already established elsewhere in Victorian education.
IEU Victoria Tasmania General Secretary David Brear said the new government-school pay and conditions outcome had changed the landscape for every school employer in Victoria.
“The wage increases won by AEU members have reset the benchmark across Victorian education. Independent schools cannot simply ignore that benchmark and expect experienced staff to accept falling behind,” Brear said.
Independent schools, Brear said, rely on the skill and commitment of their employees to deliver the education they promoted to families.
“Independent schools market themselves as places of excellence, where students are given every opportunity to excel academically and participate in a broad range of extracurricular activities.
“(Employers at) Overnewton College needs to remember that it is the work of teachers and education support staff that makes those claims possible. You cannot promise an outstanding education while allowing the pay and conditions of the people delivering it to fall behind.”
Brear said parents would reasonably expect Overnewton to remain competitive with other major school sectors.
“I think many Overnewton parents would be surprised to learn that the College is proposing arrangements that could leave their children’s teachers earning less than they could at a government school down the road, while also working under inferior workload protections.
“Parents invest substantially in their children’s education. It is reasonable for them to expect the College to invest in attracting and retaining the experienced staff who actually deliver it.”
IEU members at Overnewton have overwhelmingly voted to authorise protected industrial action. Action has already included bans and limitations, with Thursday’s half-day stoppage marking a significant escalation of the campaign.
Brear said members remain willing to reach an agreement but expect meaningful movement from the College.
“These staff have bargained patiently and constructively. They are not taking stop-work action lightly.
“They want an Agreement that keeps Overnewton competitive, provides genuine workload protections and recognises the contribution they make every day.
“They are united, and they are not going to accept a deal that leaves them behind.”
