REPS AND MEMBERS UPDATE
Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn
26 October 2017
Thursday2 November
from commencement of duty to 12.30pm
Attend your rally:
Canberra - Rydges Capital Hill, Cnr National Circuit and Canberra Avenue, Forrest at 9.30am
Protected action ballots have been granted by the AEC for 22 schools in the Archdiocese of Canberra and Goulburn, including most secondary schools and many primary schools. The Union is asking members to stop work from the commencement of duty until 12.30pm on Thursday 2 November.
Members in other dioceses will also be taking stop work action - Sydney and Broken Bay will be stopping work on Wednesday and members in other dioceses will also be taking action on the Thursday or in the following week.
The Union is also asking members to:
- provide information to parents or other community members about the stop work and issues in the campaign
- wear the Union’s campaign badges.
The Union has advised the diocese that we expect all members covered by the protected action to participate. It is therefore not necessary for members to advise their principal that they are participating. Employees who are not IEU members or who are not participating for some other reason may be requested to advise their principal if they will be at work. Maximum participation in the stop work is crucial for success.
WHO IS PROTECTED?
Protected action is legally protected industrial action that has been authorised by the process set out in the Fair Work Act. The Act sets out the requirements for the action to be protected and the Union has complied with these requirements. Under the Fair Work Act, an employer may not take adverse action against an employee who engages in protected action or who advances the views and interests of a union.
If you can answer YES to the following two questions, then the action is protected.IF
- you are employed under the 2015 Catholic Systemic Schools Enterprise Agreement but are not a casual employee; and
- as at the time of action, you are an IEU member.
THEN you are protected. Only schools who have voted to take protected action will receive this Update.
If the above conditions are satisfied, then you may take action even if you did not vote in the protected action ballot or you were not a member at the time of the ballot.
Note that because industrial action is protected under the Fair Work Act, an employer may not take adverse action against an employee who uses work email to discuss the action with other Union members, provided that the email otherwise complies with school policy (for example is not abusive).
WHEN IS THE STOP WORK?
The stop work will commence on Thursday 2 November from the scheduled commencement time of duty. For support staff, this will be the commencement of work; for teachers, it will be from the commencement of your normal required attendance time. The stop work will finish at 12.30pm or the scheduled finish time for each employee on that day if that is before 12.30pm. Because the starting and finishing times may vary between individuals and between support staff and teachers, the number of hours for which you stop work may vary.
Both teachers and support staff will be docked based on the number of hours during which you stopped work (with an hour calculated as 1/38 of the full-time rate for the position).
If members in your school wish to discuss any aspect of this stop work, please ring your IEU Organiser immediately. Members in other dioceses will take action in the coming week or weeks.
WHAT TO DO DURING THE STOP WORK?
Members are urged to attend the stop work rally in Canberra OR for members outside Canberra, arrange to meet locally with other members in your area who are participating in the stop work.
INFORMATION TO THE COMMUNITY
Later this week, the Union will send to schools a draft letter which can be used to provide information to parents and other members of the school community about the stop work and the campaign.
WEARING OF BADGES
The Union will be distributing campaign badges that may be worn by teachers and support staff to show their support for the Union campaign. These may be worn at any time from Wednesday 1 November.
A FINAL WORD
See the attached ‘What is this Dispute About’ setting out why the Union is calling on members to take protected action. Please urge ALL members in your school to participate in the stop work. Non members who join the Union before the stop work will also be able to participate.
Authorised by Gloria Taylor, Acting Secretary
Independent Education Union of Australia NSW/ACT Branch