Final hearing dates set for early childhood teachers’ pay claim
The Fair Work Commission (FWC) has set aside three days in August to conduct a final hearing of our union’s years-long campaign for substantial salary increases for early childhood teachers.
In directions issued earlier this week, the Commission notified the relevant parties that Vice President Adam Hatcher, Deputy President Lyndall Dean and Commissioner Tony Saunders will begin hearing the matter on Monday, August 23.
Parties have been given until 5pm next Monday to set out the issues they want considered at a pre-hearing conference to be conducted by Deputy President Dean on May 24.
A report-back to the full bench is listed for June 4.
The union understands that the full bench has signalled support for pay rises of up to 10% in an interim decision that recognised a salary increase was justified on work value grounds (see release Pay rises for early childhood teachers).
The union anticipates approximately 12,000 teachers in about 8000 long day care centres will benefit if the pay rises are made, in what IEU Secretary Mark Northam has described as “a significant win.”
However, the bench has qualified its support by seeking further submissions on the capacity of state and federal governments to help fund it.
Vice President Hatcher, Deputy President Dean and Commissioner Saunders in their decision last month rejected the IEU's 2013 application for an equal remuneration order on behalf of university-qualified teachers in long day care centres and preschools who are covered by the Educational Services (Teachers) Award.
The bench instead expressed support for the union's alternative 2018 s158 work value application albeit with lower pay increases than those sought by the union.
The IEU's work value claim seeks a 17.5% across-the-board increase plus the removal of "compression" at the higher levels of the classification structure, or to have all rates increased by a uniform 25%.
Directions, Application by the Independent Education Union of Australia (130N) (10 May 2021)
Equal Remuneration and Work Value Case home page