Early Childhood Groundbreaking agreements move forward
We are delighted to announce that a heads of agreement has been signed between the AEU and employer bodies ELAA and MAV, accompanied by a funding package from the state government, finalising groundbreaking new VECTEA and EEEA agreements for the sector.
These four-year agreements will cover more than 900 kindergartens, 42 long daycare centres and 22 local government authorities. As you can see in the table below, they will deliver significant wage increases for both teachers and educators, and contain entitlements that will go towards alleviating workload. AEU early childhood sector councillors have endorsed the new salaries and conditions package.
These agreements are a major win for our early childhood members and the AEU. Despite being in the middle of a pandemic and a recession, we have managed to achieve wage increases that far exceed the public sector wages policy of 2%. Thank you for your patience, commitment and support over the past two years – this is a great outcome at the end of a challenging year!
The new agreements will deliver:
- Teacher pay increases of 13–30% over four years. (3.25% up to 7.5% per annum).
- The removal in February 2022 of the hard barrier of teacher validation, replaced by a simpler process. Level 2.5 teachers will still be able to access validation if they choose by submitting a notice of intent prior to 1 December 2020, and their application by 28 February 2021.
- Educator and activity group leader pay increases of 20–27% over four years (5% p.a. and up to 6.5% p.a.), with initial upfront increases of 5.4%–13.2%. Level 1.5 educators will have immediate pay parity with range 1.5 education support staff in schools.
- Introduction of new diploma levels 2.2 and 2.3.
- AGLs reinstated into the EEEA.
- Time for educational leaders and nominated supervisors to help alleviate workload pressures, allocated as a total of one hour per week per service, or banked up and scheduled as two hours per fortnight or four hours per month. Any superior arrangements currently in place can only be altered through consultation.
- Organisational days: three days per year (pro-rata) for all staff, which will deliver an additional child-free day at the start of the year to ensure staff have time to establish their centres and programs.
- Four days time release for provisionally registered teachers and their mentors.
- Two professional development days (pro-rata) for educators.
- Increased personal leave for educators from 10 to 15 days.
- Any required out-of-hours work to be by agreement in writing, with a 14 day notice period and paid (VECTEA only).
- Primary caregivers leave of 16 weeks and 4 weeks for secondary carer’s leave (VECTEA), and the relevant local government entitlement under the EEEA.
- Family violence leave of 20 days per year, or relevant amount in the local government EBA.
- Union training leave – 5 days for all members, 8 days for sector councillors and time release for our VIT rep, or relevant amount in the local government EBA.
- Employee Assistance Program for community based kindergartens.
- PSFOs – pay increase of 16.9–17.7% over 4 years and time-and-a-half for each hour of approved time in lieu.
