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State school teachers have been left bewildered by a minor pay bump awarded to some in their ranks ahead of after-school rallies this week, as the union moved forward with plans for a second strike.
Thousands of teachers in select pay brackets were told in their payslips their remuneration would rise to the level of minimum award wages, rectifying a discrepancy that had emerged while their negotiations with the government stalled and minimum public sector wages went up by 3.5 per cent.
The change was forced by the Industrial Relations Commission’s decision to increase minimum wages and allowances in early September as part of its annual state wage case review.
Teachers rallied outside Queensland Parliament in June as the state budget was delivered.
The affected workers included teachers in band-one pay brackets – primarily those completing training – as well as those classified as “senior teachers” and “experienced senior teachers”.
Teacher aides and community education counsellors who support First Nations students also received a bump, while allowances for special locations, leading teachers, and assistants also increased.
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The payment delivered this week included several weeks’ backpay, although for most teachers, the extra money amounted to only a few dollars per week, or less than 1 per cent.
Some were left confused by the sudden pay rise, which came less than a week after the state rejected a request by the Queensland Teachers’ Union to increase educators’ pay by 3 per cent during arbitration.
In a letter dated November 7, Education Department director-general Sharon Schimming told the QTU the government would not agree to anything before the two parties met again in the Industrial Court of Queensland.
“I clearly stated that if agreement could not be reached with the QTU, all prior offers would lapse, and arbitration proceedings would likely be required,” Schimming wrote.
She also said the government would not bring back the rejected offer during arbitration, and instead “wages policy would inform the department’s position”.
The state’s last offer included attraction and retention incentives, a new experienced senior teacher pay bracket, anti-occupational violence measures, and an 8 per cent wage increase over three years. But members said this was largely unchanged from the first offer that sparked a statewide strike.
QTU members rejected the latest offer two-to-one, and union executives told members to continue their industrial campaign before arbitration automatically begins on December 31.
In a memo last week, QTU members were told the union would strike within three weeks. Executives had been considering a 24-hour stoppage on Thursday, but changed the plan to an after-hours rally.
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QTU general secretary Kate Ruttiman told members this week to rally outside Parliament House from 4pm on Thursday, “to send the government a clear message that its current position is unacceptable”.
The union said there would be a second strike after year 12 exams ended on November 18, and before the last day of classes on December 12.
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