WorkCover - a little piece of history...

For those who have access to YouTube, here's Mike Rann talking to workers in 1995.

WorkCover Protest at Kevin Foley's Office

Branch Council to consider industrial action..

It's been exactly two months since the expiration of the previous agreement and a new and improved offer from the government appears nowhere in sight. AEU SA Branch President Correna Haythorpe says industrial action will be considered at this weekend's State Council. Click here to download the press release.

Café 43 - Public Ed skilling our youth for the future

Three-thousand-plus create sea of red in Adelaide

Despite terrible weather conditions on Friday night, around 3000 AEU members and supporters occupied the steps, footpath and a lane of North Tce at the front of Parliament House to protest against the State Government's insulting enterprise offer to education workers.

Although we prefer to bring you videos of a shorter duration, we have uploaded the full 12 minute speech given at the rally by AEU SA Branch President Correna Haythorpe. This has been requested by some members who couldn't make it on the night.



Coming soon on AEUPOD: AEU members rally on the steps of Parliament - video footage from last Friday's rally in Adelaide and Café 43: Penola High serves the community.

Over 1000 rally in the country - Parliament is next...

Over the past two days around 1000 AEU members plus parents, students and supporters of public education have rallied in South Australia's country centres to protest against the State Government's enterprise offer.

Independent Education Union sends message of support...

Colleagues,

Your campaign emphasises that there is more that unites our unions than divides us.

Governments are all too willing to dump social and political expectations on schools as a quick fix but are reluctant to foot the bill.

Flagpoles, A to E reporting, drug education, financial literacy, sex education, fitness, obesity, employability skills ... and the list goes on

Top quality education is every student's right.

Top quality education cannot be delivered by simply overloading and undervaluing the teaching and non-teaching staff who are charged with delivering it.

We have top class people struggling against the odds to deliver top class education.

They do not deserve the lowest pay rates in the country.

They need to have a career structure which attracts the brightest and the best - and retains them - and values them.

You need facilities and conditions that give you an even chance of being able to go home tired at night with some comfort that you made a difference.

The IEU joins with our colleagues in the AEU in the struggle to get proper recognition for the profession from the employer of two thirds of the education staff in SA.

If this job is worth doing it is worth doing well.

If it is worth doing well it is worth the recognition and resourcing to allow it to be done well.

Mike Rann - you have shafted workers with your WorkCover changes - don't do the same to our education workers.

That is adding insult to injury.

Glen Seidel

IEU Secretary

AEU rallies this week...

Educators in Victoria only achieved their recent pay increase through political action. Thousands of their members and supporters took to the streets and filled Vodafone Arena to protest against the State Government's insulting EB offer. Now it's time for South Australian educators, parents and working people to do the same! Let's hit the streets and show the State Government that we want Fair Funding, Fair Pay and a Fair Go for public education.

Rallies have been organised in country areas and in the city. Here are the details:

WEDNESDAY 14 MAY
Mount Gambier – 5.00pm Cave Gardens Reserve (outside Robert Helpmann Theatre)
Port Lincoln – 5.00pm Stage at foreshore (opposite Post Office)
Port Augusta – 4.30pm Gladstone Square

THURSDAY 15 MAY
Berri – 4.30pm Office of Karlene Maywald MP, 13 Kay Avenue
Whyalla – 4.30pm Office of Lyn Breuer MP, Nicolson Avenue, Westlands
Port Pirie – 5.00pm Ellen Street (New playground)

FRIDAY MAY 16TH
Adelaide - City - 4.30pm Steps of Parliament House (Drinks and nibbles afterwards at The Ambassador Hotel, King William St.)

N.B Rain is expected on Friday but don't be deterred. Regardless of the weather, we need a big turn out to show the State Government that public educators will not be treated with contempt. Bring your brolly and we will have AEU poncho's to help you stay dry.

AEU Officers & Members Protest WorkCover Reforms

Vic Teachers now highest paid means SA the lowest!

The Victorian Branch of the AEU has reached an 'in principle' agreement with the Brumby State Government which, provided the membership votes in favour of the deal, will make them the highest paid teachers in the country. Australian Education Union Victorian Branch President, Mary Bluett said the in principle agreement was a significant win for teachers, principals and school communities across the state.

"Today's outcome includes significant salary increases for Victorian teachers and improvements to the contract system of employment, to maximise the number of ongoing employees and provide greater financial security for teachers employed on contracts," Ms Bluett said.

Like the AEU's Claim in South Australia, a core component of the Victorian Claim dealt with the attraction and retention of quality educators.

"The focus of the AEU throughout this negotiation period has been to deliver an outcome that increased our ability to attract quality teachers to the profession and to retain teachers in Victorian public schools," said Ms Bluett.

Ms Bluett said the agreement included:

- Significant salary increases, which will make Victorian teachers the highest paid in the nation.

- A one off bonus of $1000 for most teachers and $2000 for principals.

- Improvements in the contract system of employment to maximise the number of ongoing employees and to provide greater financial security for teachers employed on contracts

- No loss of holidays and no loss of pupil free days, however a change to the configuration of the pupil free days. No more than three before the start of the student school year, with the capacity to vary one of these with the agreement of the employer.

- A restatement of existing Department regulation that requires 300 minutes of pupil instruction per day or 25 hours per week.

- The bringing forward of 210 Teacher Assistants to the start of the 2009 school year, with further discussions about expanding the program in subsequent years.

The three year agreement will be effective as of May 11 2008, subject to the agreement being ratified by AEU members and then a ballot of the Victorian Teaching Service.

If this deal between the Victorian State Government and the AEU is completed, it will mark the culmination of a long, hard-fought campaign and – given our government's insulting offer – is perhaps indicative of what lies ahead for AEU members here in South Australia.

Along with a range of conditions that will help teachers continue to provide the highest quality curriculum delivery, our Claim unashamedly seeks increases to salaries which are now the lowest in the nation. South Australia cannot afford to lag behind the other States when it comes to teachers salaries. Victoria has lost a large portion of its graduate teachers to schools overseas and states like Western Australia who have been forced to recruit from outside the of their own state borders in to counter massive teacher shortages.

As part of our ongoing campaign for fair pay, fair funding and a fair go for public education, the SA Branch of the AEU will be holding a number of after-school rallies in the coming weeks. The rallies are scheduled at this time so that minimum disruption is caused to students and parents. We urge everyone who has an interest in ensuring South Australian children receive the best in public education to attend. Watch this blog and check with your Sub-branch Secretary for further details.

Ed.