|
|
|
|
 Workload campaign
Update by Terry Polglase, Branch President.
The AEU provided direction to members on 30th March 2015, to undertake two modest actions endorsed by AEU Executive in order to address excessive workloads. The response from the DoE was disappointing.
The two actions:
- That the annual PDP process be given the lowest of priorities.
- That no further work should be done, including reporting, on the Health and PE Australian Curriculum K-10.
The DoE raised three matters:
1.The DoE has stated that PDPs are a requirement. Whilst they are, schools must prioritise activities. Given the cuts to overall school resources and their relative importance, the AEU’s direction does not obstruct this requirement.
Ensure what is negotiated reflects the time left that exists, within your 70 hours per fortnight and the level of resources provided; after all other requirements are completed. For more information click here.
2. DoE has stated that “reporting under the Australian Curriculum is a Commonwealth Government requirement under Commonwealth legislation.”
Under legislation it is a requirement for schools to co-operate with ACARA. ACARA has assigned H&PE the status of “Awaiting Final Endorsement”. Given this and the fact that Tasmanian schools are well ahead of other states, increasing your workloads when staff numbers have been reduced is unacceptable. The AEU is not opposed to the Australian Curriculum and would see a resumption of work on its roll-out when resourcing to schools has improved to facilitate this.
 TOP
|
|
 Leaders’ Convention– Register now online!
If you’re an AEU Workplace Rep you will not want to miss this year’s Leaders’ Convention because it is jammed packed with inspirational speakers, facilitators and activities to get you pumped and primed for another year of campaigning and growing our union.
Online registration is now available and only takes a minute so don’t delay – CLICK HERE TO REGISTER.
The Leaders’ Convention, which is for all AEU Workplace Reps in all sectors (and includes co-Reps), is on Thursday 30 April and Friday 1 May 2015. It will be held at the AEU Conference Room in Hobart. Relief is available for DoE employees only.
Special guests this year include Luke Hilakari, Secretary of the Victorian Trades and Hall Council, Maurie Mulheron, Federal Deputy of the AEU, and campaign trainer Jonathan Mill, from the ACTU Organising Centre. Key themes are effective communications and campaigning, and building capacity and networks.
You must register by 9am, Monday 27 April. Late registrations will not be accepted! Click here to register now.
For further information visit our website.
TOP
|
|
Principal Health and Wellbeing
A national study of principal welfare revealed some shocking statistics about the workload pressures of Tasmanian principals and impacts on health.
We have invited leading researcher (and former principal), Professor Phil Riley, who conducted the Australian Principal Health and Wellbeing Survey to Tasmania for a series of PD opportunities for AEU and TPA members.
Professor Riley will present key findings from his research in a relaxed and friendly environment with an opportunity to discuss solutions to principal workload and other issues, and network with colleagues.
|
|
PRINCIPAL HEALTH AND WELFARE SESSIONS
- Monday 27 April, Breakfast 7:30am - 9.00am, AEU Office, 32 Patrick St Hobart.
- Tuesday 28 April, Breakfast 7:30am - 9.00am, Comfort Hotel Burnie.
- Tuesday 28 April, Nibbles 4.00pm - 5.00pm, AEU Office, 63 Best St, Devonport.
- Wednesday 28 April, Breakfast 7:30am - 9.00am, AEU Office, 39Paterson St, Launceston.
The PD opportunity is a collaboration between the AEU, the Tasmanian Principals Associations and Teachers Health. Download an event poster here.
Please RSVP to the AEU by 22 April, reply to support@aeutas.org.au
For further information call Helen Richardson (03) 6234 9500 or 0408 108 885.
TOP
|
|
PD in the pub: Behaviour Management Skills
Launceston – Tuesday 11 August at Cock’n’Bull.
Hobart - Wednesday 12 August at Hotel Soho.
This popular after-work event is free for all AEU student and New Educator members and a great chance to network with others. Running sessions in both Hobart and Launceston, PD in the Pub looks at effective classroom and behaviour management- skills that all teachers need to continually develop. Led by dynamic presenter Glen Pearsall, sessions run from 4.30pm - 6.00pm. It can take years to learn this stuff, or you can come to PD in the Pub, have a drink on us and walk away with a bunch of new skills and fun ideas!
|
|
15 hour kinder under threat….again
See the latest in this media release here
|
|
What you can do
Click here to send a message to Minister Pyne and ask him to get serious about kinder funding!
|
|
 Support Staff update
SUCCESSFUL PD SESSION
The AEU sponsored a professional development workshop on ‘Positive Behaviour Support’ with autism consultant Kate Wilson at Newstead College on Wednesday 15 April for a large number of non-teaching Support Staff AEU members.
This workshop focused on how to understand the behaviour cycle and to plan for individual behaviour intervention for students with challenging behaviours and can be used to go towards an evidence portfolio for those studying Certificate III.
We are committed to providing further PD opportunities for AEU Support Staff members and strongly encourage all non-teaching staff to join the AEU to gain access to these PD sessions.
Refer a potential member to our website for membership forms CLICK HERE
PARA-PROFESSIONAL PROGRAM
We continue to meet regularly with representatives of DoE and further discussions have been held regarding the introduction of the new Para Professional Program, which is currently being developed in conjunction with UTAS. This initiative has come as a result of long-term lobbying by the AEU to create a career pathway and to recognize that a great number of TAs and other support staff transition into teaching roles.
We have requested that a draft SOD for the new position be supplied that details what the role will entail, who will be eligible to undertake the Program, and how it will be funded. Further details will be provided once known but any questions should be directed to DoE HR.
TOIL DAYS FOR 2015
We have had further discussions with the DoE about when the TOIL days will be made available for non-teaching Support Staff who lost public holidays in 2014 and 2015. The DoE has advised they are in discussions with the CPSU and once agreement has been reached by all parties, a hearing will take place in the Tasmanian Industrial Commission to change the Award (TSAA) before these TOIL days can come into effect. Like all things this will take time, so please be patient and if you have any questions contact your AEU workplace Rep.
SUPPORT STAFF WEEK 2015
Put this date in your diary now, 7-21 August. Term 3 is when national Support Staff week will occur around the nation, and AEU members in non-teaching roles will celebrate. Your AEU Support Staff Council will be meeting on 23 April to discuss events for this year. If you would like to provide some input please contact Cate at cated@aeutas.org.au or Support Staff Council President Mandy Jackson mandy.jackson@education.tas.gov.au or Mandy Bowerman at mandy.bowerman@education.tas.gov.au
TOP
|
|
TAFE update
By TAFE Division President Rex Calvert
AEU SECURES 100 HOURS PD
Because of AEU intervention, TasTAFE has now agreed to allow access to the 100 hours PD provision in the Award for teachers who enrolled in the UTAS Batchelor of Education (Applied Learning) prior to April 2015, and who are involved in the practicum provisions associated with the B.Ed. AL. TasTAFE intended to only allow two hours. For all new enrolees the PD access will be restricted to 20 hours per annum.
AEU NEGOTIATES GREATER ACCESS TO REDUNDANCY PACKAGES
TasTAFE has now released SODs for the new management structure.
The AEU negotiated on behalf of members for TasTAFE to, where practical and for those who so desire, allow all of those above ETL level to express an interest in a redundancy package. For those ETLs who do not wish to apply for one of the new manager positions and are keen to continue as an employee of TasTAFE they will be able to revert to a teaching role as an AST1. The AST1 duties are defined in the current Award and SOD and as such can’t be changed without a change in the Award.
The new structure will have 31 Education Manager positions classified as TSSA band 7. Those successful at being appointed to that position will be placed at the top rung of that scale. There is a possibility that TasTAFE may need to call for EOIs for some of the new positions as the number applying for redundancies or teaching positions may reduce those applying for the Education Manager positions to less than the 31 required.
PAY RISE
All those under the TasTAFE Teaching Staff Award will now have received the second pay increase (2%) as prescribed under the current Agreement that was negotiated by the AEU. It will receive the last instalment effective from the first full pay period in March 2016.
NEW CLARENCE SUB-BRANCH SECRETARY
For those in the Clarence Sub-Branch of the AEU TAFE Division Glynn Howells is your new Secretary and as such should be your first contact for all TAFE Division matters. Congratulations Glynn!
TOP
|
|
No more school cuts
You certainly made some ‘noise’ and told Premier Will Hodgman that there must be no more school cuts and that he must keep his Gonski promise.
More than 2000 signatures flooded in from around the state, in just a few days, for the Open Letter to Mr Hodgman. You also sent us great photos from outside your school gates with your “no more cuts” posters. (See them on our FB page and Twitter)
|
|
We also took the message about “no more school cuts” and Gonski promises right to the door of Parliament House with a big joint stakeholder media conference on Parliament lawns. The AEU was joined by parents, community, youth and welfare groups, and politicians who called on Mr Hodgman to rule out further education cuts and for him to keep his Gonski promises. (Pictures on our FB page)
Your fantastic efforts came a critical time when we are still hearing that there will be further cuts to education in the Mr Hodgman’s May budget.
We have delivered your signatures to Mr Hodgman in person – more on that soon!
TOP
|
|
Senior secondary course development
By Brian McNab, Secondary Colleges President.
Last year the state government announced its intention to abolish the TQA and establish a new model for the development and accreditation of Year 11/12 curriculum. It is hoped that legislation to this effect will be passed in May. Meanwhile the TQA is not doing any work on course development but, on the assumption that the enabling legislation will pass, the DoE is taking preparatory steps in readiness for a handover of responsibilities.
A Curriculum Steering Group involving all major stakeholders will be responsible for establishing overarching curriculum development protocols and principles and for reviewing and developing courses. They will be aided in preparing course documents by the nine Curriculum Teacher Leaders (CTLs), whose roles have been redefined to focus on Years 11/12 course development. In effect this means that nine CTLs will replace the one TQA officer charged with special responsibility for course development; it represents a significant increase in resourcing for 11/12 course writing and should lead to a significant reduction in the onerous workload previously imposed on teachers volunteering to take part in writing parties.
It is anticipated that the CTLs will either develop draft course documents themselves or, where they lack specific subject expertise, seek input from expert teacher practitioners (for whose time the DoE would provide relief staff) and then seek feedback to the drafts. The Steering Group has already committed itself to a thorough and meaningful consultation process involving reasonable response times and including responding to feedback with an explanation of why suggestions were either accepted or rejected. It also hopes to adopt the mainland practice of including exemplars in course documents and, where relevant, of publishing sample exam papers either in conjunction with a new course document or at the very least before anyone has ever had to teach the course.
Since it is inappropriate for those involved in developing a course to pass final judgment on it, once the Curriculum Steering group has received feedback and made any changes it will forward the revised draft to a completely different and independent body (the Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification Office (TASC)) which will decide whether or not to accredit the course and how to assess it – in the same way as the TQA has done.
College teachers should welcome this development because it will ensure that they are consulted and because the allocation of extra resources to course writing will also mean that they will no longer have to do all the work of writing parties.
As April approaches, and since courses need to have been accredited by June (in time for details to be included in the Course Information Handbook in July/August), one of the first issues facing the new organisation will be the eight pre-tertiary and nine others courses which expire at the end of this year. In normal circumstances work would have started on these last June and by now final drafts would have been submitted for accreditation, but the only work done on these courses so far has been done this year by the CTLs.
Unfortunately, opponents of sensible change have recently emerged to argue for the retention of the TQA. Their chief arguments are that it has done a fine job, that it is independent and even that the proposed changes will be expensive. In making those claims they have to ignore the fact that the TQA receives no funding for course development activities, make unsubstantiated claims that the new model will lack independence and pretend that there would be no need for a massive injection of funding to allow the TQA to carry out course development work thoroughly and on schedule. Any sensible argument for retaining the TQA would start by acknowledging that it has been severely under-resourced and that rectifying that situation would cost far more than the proposed model. The refusal of champions of the TQA to acknowledge that it would have to be adequately resourced to carry out course development work indicates that they are happy to retain the status quo and do nothing to address the urgent need to provide resources for course writing and development activities.
TOP
|
|
Sub-branch Motions for AEU Council
Agenda and papers for the next AEU Branch Council on 15/5/15 meeting will be sent out to Councillors at the beginning of May. Sub-branches are encouraged to meet and discuss possible motions for tabling at the Branch Council meeting.
Sub-branch motions must include the date and location of the meeting and the mover and seconder of the motion and should be emailed to gayem@aeutas.org.au by Tuesday, 28 April 2015, at the latest.
TOP
|
|
Check your income protection
Now would be a good time to check with your superannuation fund to find out what level of income protection you would have if you were unable to work because of illness or injury and ran out of paid sick leave. As well as finding out what percentage of your current salary you would receive and for what period, also ask the question about how long you would have to be without any income from your employer before the income protection is activated. This can vary greatly. It’s impossible to predict if, or when, serious illness will affect you and threaten your income so it is good to find out what safety net you have before you need to use it. Also, if you are not happy with the cover you have, ask if it is possible to vary it to better suit your circumstances.
TOP
|
|
A 20% discount on the commission price of a property (land or house) upon sale will apply to AEU members and their families.
Contact Peter on 0438 292 756 or email peter.harrison@raywhite.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
