
4 minute read
General Agreement
from April 2022 Western Teacher
by SSTUWA
Agreement in Principle (schools)
An Agreement in Principle has been reached following 2021 EBA negotiations
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Dear Member, An Agreement in Principle (AIP) to replace the current 2019 General Agreement (GA) was endorsed by Executive on 14 April 2022. Your Executive is of the view that this proposed agreement is the best outcome which can be negotiated at this time. It is now time for all members who will be covered by this proposed agreement to vote whether to approve the terms and conditions set out in the proposed School Education Act Employees’ (Teachers and Administrators) General Agreement 2021 as well as the proposed changes to the Teachers (Public Sector Primary and Secondary Education) Award 1993.
It is important that all members register a vote. The outcome of a yes vote will result in this Agreement in Principle being registered jointly as your conditions of work and salary until December 2023.
We were successful in giving the salary cap the boot at the end of 2021. The Public Sector Alliance’s initial claim was for a four per cent salary increase. The government has offered 2.75 per cent backdated to December 2021 and 2.75 per cent in December 2022, which amounts to 5.5 per cent across the life of the agreement. The state wages policy will again be reviewed ahead of our next agreement. Acceptance of this offer would see Western Australian teachers again being the highest paid in the country from December 2022. The state government offer of 2.75 per cent for each of the two years of the agreement delivers fortnightly increases ranging from $76 per fortnight (salary grade 2.1) to $183 per fortnight (salary grade 6.4) in the first year (backdated to 6 December 2021). In the second year of the agreement those rises are an additional $78 p/f to $188 p/f respectively. The 2.75 per cent increase is accompanied by a series of government concessions in response to our Log of Claims. A number of initiatives have been secured to reduce compliance requirements, including stronger direction on using SCSA curriculum support materials, a widening of the definition of TOIL available for teachers and a commitment to developing a template for school Annual reports in time for the 2023 school year. Compliance requirements around using the negotiated performance management template and increased flexibility for school development days are also contained in the proposed agreement. Regional and remote teachers will benefit significantly under the proposed agreement. The SSTUWA has secured significant additional funding for District High Schools to broaden secondary provision, additional student vacation and travel concessions and a month-long extension of the air conditioning subsidy. The department has also committed to making the transfer pool accesible to ALL teachers, as well as strategies to allow greater movement between metro and regional schools. Consideration will also be given to enabling movement of adminstrators at level.
For leaders the notional time allocation of 0.3 FTE for Level 3 deputy principals will now be specified in the General Agreement, compensatory leave for principals in recognition of work outside normal hours
to manage catastrophic emergencies and events will be provided for in the Agreement, travel and accommodation costs for regionally-based principals attending professional development will also be provided for in the Agreement. These and other core benefits from the agreement are covered in a series of fact sheets available at
sstuwa.org.au/GA2021
If the Agreement-in-Principle is endorsed, salary increases will be backdated to 6 December 2021. A no vote will mean either further negotiations, or an arbitration process in the Western Australian Industrial Relations Commission (WAIRC). Either of these options could mean the withdrawal of all other negotiated outcomes.
Information packs will be available online from 2 May. A series of meetings will be held over the following weeks before a ballot is conducted in early June. A small number of hard copies will be sent to all schools.
Further information to assist you to make an informed decision can be found at sstuwa.org.au/GA2021
Members are welcome, through their union representative, to contact their District Organiser or Member Assist for clarification of any part of the proposed Agreement. School and regional meetings outlining the AIP will also be held.
Voting will need to be completed by 4pm Friday 17 June 2022.
My thanks go to Executive and the negotiating team who have managed to draw the bargaining process to as successful a conclusion as was possible despite the incredible pressures of the COVID-19 pandemic. Above all, thank you to all members who have followed the Executive Directives, taken part in the Give the Cap the Boot campaign and who have shared their workload concerns through social media. It has been hugely important in securing this offer.
If you have any questions about the content of the documents you are voting on, check with your union representative first, then check the website information and, if necessary, contact Member Assist on 9210 6060.
Yours sincerely,
Pat Byrne President, SSTUWA
Workload wins
in the Agreement in Principle (schools)
Compliance reduction Range of compliance reduction measures to enable focus on curriculum and instructional leadership.
Curriculum support Full day mandated, to come from existing school development days.
Personal leave Improved personal leave clause.
TOIL Extra TOIL for teachers doing non-teaching related assessments.
Graduate teacher relief Graduate teachers must agree to internal relief.
Principals Compensatory leave for principals working outside hours to manage catastrophic emergencies and events.
Data Data analyst positions to be developed.
Performance management Mandatory adherence to negotiated performance management template.
District High Schools Additional funding for District High School staffing.
What’s in the agreement for you? Visit sstuwa.org.au/GA2021 to view the full range of information sheets, voting materials and more.