VSGA Sub-Branch Meeting Notes

Here are my notes from this week’s sub-branch meeting for those who couldn’t attend. I have used ChatGPT to help organise my notes, they were a bit all over the place, but the all of the points are drawn directly from my original notes. This is not intended to be a voting recommendation.

Voting

• The voting structure is 1 vote per 20 members (e.g. 41 members = 3 votes).
• School representatives collect member votes and submit the overall vote.
• In the case of a split vote, the representative may seek clarification from members or use discretion in how votes are submitted within the rules of the process.
• If the in-principle agreement passes, there will be a further vote involving all public school staff, including non-members.

Pay

• Pay was stated to be the primary focus of this bargaining round, based on member feedback during the log of claims process.
• Prioritising pay over multiple areas was presented as a bargaining strategy to secure a stronger outcome in this area, rather than spreading gains across multiple areas.
• Back pay is expected from 15 May if the in-principle agreement is approved. It was noted that extending the back pay period further would reduce the overall percentage increase due to how the agreement is structured.

Education Support Staff

• ES remuneration increases occur through a combination of wage adjustments and allowances.
• These changes provide immediate increases in ES pay, including through allowances, without requiring formal qualifications at this stage.
• Longer-term intentions include developing clearer qualification pathways and professional recognition to support future pay claims in subsequent agreements.

Workload and Conditions

• Condition improvements were limited in this round due to the focus on pay.
• Workload data will be collected over the life of the agreement to compare workload demands with available Non-Face-to-Face (NFTF) time.
• This data may be used in future bargaining and in school-level discussions regarding workload management.

NFTF Time

• NFTF arrangements are covered by a separate instrument (“the deed”) and are not changed by this agreement.

School Funding (Gonski)

• School funding is not part of the agreement and is addressed through separate government policy processes outside enterprise bargaining.

Future Direction

• The agreement is framed as part of a broader approach to strengthening future bargaining across education sectors.
• Workload data collection is intended to inform the next bargaining cycle and related claims, rather than delivering immediate enforceable changes.

Overall

The in principle agreement prioritises pay increases in this round, with workload, funding, and structural issues identified as areas for future bargaining or policy focus, depending on member input in the next log of claims process.