Independent Education Union and Bendigo Catholic teachers protest workload pressures

Staff from five local schools attended a protest at the Sandhurst Catholic Education Office on Thursday, calling for action to fix workload issues and to finalise a replacement for the now expired 2018 Victorian Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement as soon as possible.

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Local teacher Louise Murray said it felt like Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS) - which also represents the Diocese in the Bendigo and Ballarat regions - were "burying their heads in the sand".

"We're not asking you for anything out of the ordinary and considering all the work we've put in, and we continue to put in, to me, it's just a slap in the face," she said.

"It's a lack of respect for our profession, so we just want what we're entitled to.

"We love being teachers, and working in education, but we need that to be valued and at the moment we probably don't feel respected and valued for what we do."

Other protesters included Emma Jensen who said retention of staff was vital, especially as baby boomer teachers leave the profession.

"It's about retaining people, and attracting people to the profession," she said.

"[At the moment] who wants to be a teacher?"

The independent education union spokesperson said historically there has been one agreement for all staff in Catholic schools in Victoria, excluding secondary principals, but this year the Sale Diocese has split off.

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"Recently, an in-principle deal was reached with Sale, which matches most of the salary and condition improvements won by the Australian Education Union in government schools, and has a big focus on tackling the massive problem of teacher workloads," the spokesperson said.

"MACS negotiations have not been as productive, and their team continue to push back against our claims for improving the workloads of education staff.

"Essentially, this means that government school staff and Sale Catholic school staff have locked in significant improvements to workloads (including better parental leave), and over the next couple of months will be getting salary increases and backpay - while those in MACS Catholic schools across the rest of the state get left behind.

"This is starting to become a big problem for principals who are trying to plan for 2023 staffing but don't have a clear framework."

Independent Education Union Victoria Tasmania organiser Andrew Wood said the frustration is peaking particularly following the hard work of the last couple of years.

"We've got a meeting with representatives from Catholic Education Sandhurst to put across the concerns of members," he said.

"The current agreement expired 460 odd days ago so it's been a long time."

For their part, Catholic Education Sandhurst Limited (CES Ltd) chief executive Paul Desmond said CES Ltd respects the decision of the staff to take the action seen on Thursday.

He said CES Ltd, along with Melbourne Archdiocese Catholic Schools (MACS), Diocese of Ballarat Catholic Education Limited (DOBCEL), and Catholic Religious Institute and Ministerial Public Juridic Person Victorian Schools Ltd (CRMV), are currently in negotiations for the enterprise agreement to replace the Victorian Catholic Education Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2018.

"We are blessed with many fantastic staff across the Diocese and we recognise and deeply value their professionalism and dedication," he said.

"We particularly value the enormous contribution they have made in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic over the past two and a half years, including pivoting to remote learning.

"Along with other Catholic education employers, I assure you that CES Ltd is committed to negotiating in good faith in a responsible and transparent process as we work together towards a just agreement with our valued staff."

Mr Desmond said CES Ltd aimed to allocate resources in a way that delivered the best outcomes for students and families, while fairly and responsibly rewarding staff.

He said the team looked forward to the formalisation of agreed outcomes regarding pay and other working conditions as soon as possible.

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