In this edition

IndependentEducationUnionQ u e e n s l a n d a n d Northern Territory

Vol. 9 No. 2 June 2015 The newsletter for IEUA-QNT members

• Territory members celebrate May Day

• Workers’ Comp to be further restricted

• Kormilda College members vote for new agreement

• Drawn out negotiation at Essington School

• Literary Competition

• Chapter action prompts reversal on medical check

• Member profile: Louise Delahunty

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Territory members celebrate May Day

The Northern Territory Government is about to introduce a second round of legislation this year that will both restrict access to Workers’ Compensation benefits and place tight limits on claimants’ rights to fair compensation.

The legislation follows similar actions by coalition governments in Queensland and Western Australia to downgrade worker protections to lower employer premiums.

The review recommended continuing to deny injured workers the option to make common law claims against negligent employers and the legislated exemption of claims by workers injured travelling to or from work.

A new regressive proposal will see compensation for incapacity and medical expenses limited to five years of weekly payments and medical costs for all but the most seriously injured workers, whose injuries result in a permanent impairment of 15% or greater from the primary injury.

The legislation will also specify that compensation will step down to 75% of normal weekly earnings after an

aggregate of 26 weeks of medically-certified periods of incapacity rather than for a linear period of 26 weeks from the date of injury.

Unions NT president Kay Densley issued a statement pointing out that workers with significant injuries may be forced on to disability pensions after five years.

“If the Bill is passed, it will simply mean that insurers will offer miserly lump sum amounts, with the knowledge that they are responsible for five years of payments only.

“Further, insurers are likely to sit on payments, waiting for workers to exhaust their right to benefits, so that they can cut workers off rather than fulfilling their obligations to retrain injured workers and assist in the transition into suitable employment.”

Compensation for most heart attacks and strokes will also be abolished. The only upside for workers is the inclusion of counselling services and increased death and funeral benefits. The second tranche of legislation, in response to the Review of the Northern Territory Workers Compensation Scheme, is expected to go before Parliament in the near future.

Northern Territory workers’ rights to fair compensation set to be further restricted

IEUA-QNT members joined more than 1000 fellow unionists who marched in Alice Springs, Darwin and many Territory towns to celebrate 151 years of union activism.

Members in Alice Springs participated in the Bangtail Muster while Darwin members enjoyed a picnic and concert in Bicentennial Park following their march.

This will be the last year that the Northern Territory is the only State or Territory to retain the May Day public holiday, as Queensland’s Labour Day public holiday will return to May next year.

May Day is an international acknowledgement of wages and conditions that have been achieved over centuries by committed workers united in solidarity.

Members celebrate May Day in Darwin

May Day in Alice Springs

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Kormilda College vote supports new agreement

The employer at Essington School has rejected the majority of the claims made on behalf of employees.

Our union remains concerned about the following:

• Sleepover Allowance – the quantum offered by the employer is less than if the allowance were increased in line with the wage movements.

• The absence of a commitment to employee consultation is in the development of a “Peer Assessment Handbook” relating to Advanced Skills Teachers .

Literary Competition for students and teachersThis year’s Literary Competition invites entries from students in Years 6-12 and teachers from all non-government schools in the Northern Territory.

Authors can create poems, short fictional stories or non-fiction prose on any subject and are invited to submit their work for consideration by the judges.

A range of cash prizes is on offer:

Years 11–12: first prize $300, second prize $200, third prize $100 Years 9–10: first prize $150, second prize $100, third prize $75 Years 7–8: first prize $150, second prize $100, third prize $75 Year 6: first prize $150, second prize $100, third prize $75 Open (Teachers): first prize $300, second prize $200, third prize $100.

The competition closes on 17 July and winners wil be announced at a presentation on 14 October in Brisbane. Cori Brook, a Brisbane based children’s book author, will be our guest presenter.

Further details and entry forms are available online at www.qieu.asn.au/events/competitions

Staff at Kormilda College have voted 58 - 21 to accept a 12 percent pay rise over four years, following a long negotiation.

The agreement also provides for increases to the Camps and Travel Allowance, compounding over the life of the agreement.

Clauses addressing increased support for graduate teachers, dealing with bullying, and assisting students with a disability have been added to the new agreement.

A new Long Service Leave provision has been added —consistent with Territory legislation. Redundancy provisions, consistent with the Fair Work Act and a different severance pay table are new inclusions.

Highly Accomplished and Lead Teachers provisions are clarified and School Officer and Boarding Stream provisions are enhanced.

Branch Secretary, Terry Burke, said the agreement was a positive outcome for all staff and the future of the college.

Entry forms

available via our

website at

www.qieu.asn.au/

literary

IndependentEducation

UnionQueensland and Northern Territory Branch

Award presentation ceremony to be held Wednesday, 14 October 2015 at Queensland Multicultural Centre, Kangaroo Point.

Section A Years 11–12First Prize $300Second Prize $200Third Prize $100

Section B Years 9–10First Prize $150Second Prize $100Third Prize $75

Section C Years 7–8First Prize $150Second Prize $100Third Prize $75

Section D Year 6First Prize $150Second Prize $100Third Prize $75

Section E Open (Teachers)First Prize $300Second Prize $200Third Prize $100

See your English teacher about entering the competition.

(Front, from Left) Margaret Black, Anthony Ayres and Emma Short, and (back) Rob Storr and Wendy Jennings , prior to opening the ballot box.

Ongoing concerns draw out negotiations at Essington School• The absence of criteria to be used in “assessing a teacher’s

professional knowledge and skill” for the purpose of progressing from CT5 to CT6.

• References to the National Employment Standards in certain entitlements, rather than clearly setting out an employee’s entitlement.

• An overly restrictive prohibition on the use of social media.

Advice has been received that a ballot on the proposed agreement will be held late in May.

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Kormilda College vote supports new agreement Strong chapter resists medical and psychological testing policy

5 June Workshop: Industrial Relations for Teachers and School Officers

4.00pm - 5.30pm. Unions NT Conference Room (an RSVP is required to attend)

17-18 June Industrial Relations Training

8.00am-4.00pm Unions NT Conference Room (an RSVP is required to attend)

21 September Regional Organising Committee meeting

5.00pm - 6.30pm Super Pizza, Fannie Bay

Date ClaimersSee our website for more detail at www.qieu.asn.au

An active chapter in the Northern Territory has had a significant win this term, defeating an employer proposal at Yirara College that required employees to submit to screening by a medical or psychological practitioner at the employer’s request, as a condition of employment.

In question was the inclusion of a paragraph in employment contracts offered by the Northern Territory Lutheran employer stating: “By signing this letter of offer you are declaring that there are no physical or psychological impediments to your performance of duties of your role. You are also stating your willingness to submit to independent screening by (a) a qualified medical practitioner(s) or psychologist(s) should the College require this prior to or during your employment. The College shall pay for the cost of obtaining the certificate and you may approve the gender of the medical practitioner.”

Following a chapter resolution, a letter was sent to the employer by our union expressing the view that the inclusion exceeded the scope of what the employer can require of an employee or prospective hire.

The letter pointed out that there was no provision in the Lutheran Schools NT Enterprise Agreement 2014 that identified a requirement for employees to willingly submit to independent medical screening at the employer’s request.

It also stated that the employer had no legal right to include the

provisions as there was no legislative basis permitting the employer to require prospective employees to submit to independent health screening and furthermore the requirement could potentially treat employees in a manner that contravened section 15 of the Disability Discrimination Act.

The employer acted on this advice and removed the paragraph from contracts. Our union also advised prospective employee members not to sign any letter of appointment containing the paragraph.

Members who were offered a contract with medical screening requirements are advised to contact the employer who will issue a new letter without the offending clause.

The announcement of additional funding for Indigenous boarding schools fails to recognise that they are the only option for students from remote communities.

Branch Secretary, Terry Burke, said neither Federal or Territory governments were prepared to fund secondary schools in remote communities for economic reasons, which further disadvantaged Indigenous students and their families.

“Students in remote communities have no other choice than to attend boarding schools,” Mr Burke said.

“Catering as they do for students from remote communities, Territory boarding schools should receive considerable additional funding and support, to enable students their right to access an education and other opportunities for learning.

“These students also require significant support from their schools —given the great distance many are located from their families and communities —this too must be clearly recognised by the government when it comes to funding.

“The federal minister would have us believe that the government is providing assistance to these students, when in fact, they provide no alternative, putting greater financial pressure on families and communities who are already some of the most disadvantaged in the country.”

Mr Burke said additional funding was always welcome but clearly there was much more to be done as only 21 schools and less than 1500 hundred students would benefit from the $2.7 million in additional funding.

“Only non-government schools with more than 50 Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander boarding students —or 50 per cent or more boarding students from remote or very remote areas are eligible for funding.

“While the minister claims the funding will help ensure these students ‘have access to the same opportunities as other Australian students’, the gap in educational access and outcomes won’t be closed until a wide range of economic and social issues in remote communities are addressed over a longer term by governments.

“Additional funding for our resource-poor Indigenous boarding schools is but a small step in achieving equity and fairness in education for all Australians,” Mr Burke said.

Indigenous boarding schools deserve additional federal funding

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ISSN: 1834-5190The Northern Voice was prepared by

Martin King, Communications ManagerEditor: Mr Terry Burke, Branch Secretary

IEUA-QNTPO BOX 418, FORTITUDE VALLEY QLD 4006

PH: 1800 351 996 Fax: (07) 3839 7021 Email: enquiries@qieu.asn.au

Website: www.qieu.asn.auABN: 74 662 601 045

Louise Delahunty, teacherO’Loughlin Catholic College, Karama

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Louise teaches Years 10 -12 English, History and Legal Studies. How did you come to work at O’Loughlin Catholic College?

My husband and I were looking for a change and he applied for a job in Darwin and.... got it! I was keen to work in a Catholic school, as that was my own educational background, so O’Loughlin was the natural choice to seek work.

Did you work in another job/school before O’Loughlin Catholic College—and if so—where did you work?

Before I became a teacher I worked as a solicitor in Brisbane and Toowoomba.

What do you like most about your job?

The thing I enjoy most is definitely the satisfaction of seeing a student work hard, achieve their best and create a real quality piece of work.

What do you like about working at O’Loughlin Catholic College?

There is a friendly staff at the college which really helps when you are feeling a bit under the pump.

What issues do you see becoming more important at your workplace over time?

Definitely the increasing administrative demands placed on teachers as well as hours of duty and the establishment of a successful work/life balance.

What advice would you have for a graduate teacher starting work in the Northern Territory?

Get into a hobby outside of school to force yourself to give your mind a break and get away during the holidays.

How long have you been a member of our union—and what prompted you to join?

Just over a year. Coming from a legal background I was conscious of having that extra level of support outside of the school environment and somebody to lean on if things did go badly.

What do you find most rewarding about being a staff representative?

Well I haven’t been in this role very long, but I guess just being able to offer people a bit of backup or support if they need it.

What do you find is the most challenging thing about being a staff representative?

Finding the time to be involved and effective!

What do you see as the “big picture” priorities for our union in the Northern Territory?

Supporting teachers to achieve conditions which allow them to stay in the profession and in the Territory.

What do you think are the most compelling reasons for people to join our union?

For the support and peace of mind offered by membership.

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