We campaign for better salaries and better working conditions for you in Catholic Independent Schools.
Overview
There are 37 Catholic Independent Schools in NSW and 3 in the ACT. They are located in both cities and the regions, and are of varying enrolment sizes and faiths. Historically, they have been administered and operated by the religious congregations and orders of religious priests, brothers and nuns. Today, there are incorporated entities, such as Edmund Rice Education Australia (EREA), which provide administrative support, develop policy, and provide leadership and governance for their respective schools.
For industrial agreements at these schools, such as enterprise agreements (EA) and bargaining for multi enterprise agreements (MEAs), the IEU negotiates with CER (Catholic Employment Relations), for both teachers and support staff.
ACT
In the ACT, we have negotiated an agreement for the 3 Catholic Independent schools: Daramalan College, St Edmund’s College and Marist College Canberra. There are also separate agreements for support staff at each of the three colleges. Negotiations are ongoing.
NSW
In NSW, negotiations for new agreements for Model A, B and C schools have been slow and frustrating. We have been pursuing a log of claims since 2021 for enhanced salaries and entitlements under a new agreement, as well as some measures for management of workloads and work intensification. The response from employers has been underwhelming in its scope and unacceptable to date.
Meetings of members held in nearly every school have rejected the employer offers made to date and called on the IEU to pursue its claims. In the interim, salary increases have been paid to teachers and support staff in both 2022 and 2023 by way of administrative adjustments rather than by settlement of a new EA.
Members and potential members have been engaged in this campaign for improved salaries and enhanced conditions of employment.
Model A Schools
There are seven Model A schools, which follow the ‘3 Band Salaries’ model aligned to the ‘AIS Independent Schools – Standards Model’. One stand alone school, Santa Sabina College, also follows this model.
List of Model A schools:
- Brigidine College St Ives
- Mater Dei
- Mount St Benedict College
- Our Lady of Mercy College Parramatta
- St Joseph’s College Hunters Hill
- St Scholastica’s College
- St Vincent’s College (teachers only)
Model B & C Schools
There are nineteen Model B schools, including all EREA schools. These schools have a salaries model based on the teacher accreditation levels of Graduate, Proficient and Highly Accomplished and Lead Teacher (HALT) but with salary rates higher than generally paid in NSW Department of Education and Catholic systemic schools.
List of Model B schools:
- EREA schools
- Chevalier College
- Oakhill College
- Rosebank College
- St Augustine’s College
- St Mary Star of the Sea College Wollongong
- St Patrick’s College Campbelltown
- St Gregory’s College Campbelltown
There are 10 Model C schools which have salary rates closely aligned to those in the Catholic systemic schools sector.
List of Model C schools:
- Holy Saviour School
- Maronite College of the Holy Family
- Red Bend Catholic College
- St Charbel’s College
- St Maroun’s College
- St Paul’s International College
- The John Berne School
- Trinity Catholic College Lismore
Agreements for support staff are also grouped as Model A, B and C although the salaries do not necessarily reflect the comparison with that specific model.
