Early Childhood More than capable
Make sure your capability assessments have translated into pay increases within the correct timeframe.
Teachers who completed their capability assessment last year and translated to Level 3.1 on 1 February should now have translated to Level 3.2 with an hourly rate of $46.53. Check your pay slips to confirm. On 4 April, you will receive your next pay increase, along with all those employed under the VECTEA and EEEA.
If members have any issues with translation and receiving your requisite pay increase, please contact the AEU for support and advice.
For those who were eligible to translate on 1 February last year, but who have not yet been provided with the opportunity to undertake the process, please contact the AEU as soon as possible, as your employer is in breach of the agreement.
If your employer has started the process but it hasn’t yet been completed, please ensure that once completed, if eligible, you are translated to Level 3.1 as of February last year. You will then translate to Level 3.2 as of 1 February this year, and you must be back-paid to 1 February 2022.
If your incremental date was after 1 February and you were eligible but have not yet been given the opportunity to go through the process or it has not yet been finalised, contact us for support and advice to ensure that you are translated and back-paid to your incremental date.
If you are about to become eligible to undertake the capability assessment, look out for AEU training. Alternatively, if you organise a group of 8–10 people, get in touch and our EC organiser Max Grarock will come out to your service and deliver the training for you.
We know, from numerous conversations with members, the impact on workload caused by an increase in class size.
Workload Index
With the continued scale up of three-year-old kinder to 15 hours and access for children being a priority for the Victorian government, some group sizes may have had to increase to up to 33 children.
We know, from numerous conversations with members, the impact on workload caused by an increase in class size. One mechanism you can use to help alleviate some of the workload for teachers employed under the VECTEA and EEEA is the workload index entitlement (Clause 54 VECTEA and Clause 57 EEEA).
A workload index can be calculated to ensure that a teacher’s workload is reasonable. The workload index is calculated by multiplying face-to-face teaching hours by the number of children in a group, then adding this value for all groups.
The workload index should not exceed 765.
Example: Poppy, teacher
Poppy is a full-time teacher (38 hours per week) and is employed under the EEEA. Poppy teaches children for 25 hours per week (contact time) and her non-contact time is 13 hours per week. Poppy teaches a rotational group with 33 children in attendance each day.
Monday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Tuesday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Wednesday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Thursday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Friday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Workload Index: 165 + 165 + 165 + 165 + 165 = 825
A teacher’s workload index cannot exceed 765. Poppy’s workload index is 825, so it exceeds the index. Because the calculated index exceeds 765, the employer must reduce Poppy’s contact time so that her workload index becomes less than 765.
For example:
Monday: 4 hours contact time x 33 children = 132
Tuesday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Wednesday: 4 hours contact time x 33 children = 132
Thursday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Friday: 5 hours contact time x 33 children = 165
Workload Index: 132 + 165 + 132 + 165 + 165 = 759
Poppy’s full-time hours (38 hours) would become 23 hours contact time and 15 hours non-contact time.
