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Vote on new teacher pay deal

02 February 2010

Vote on new teacher pay deal

Queensland state school teachers are invited to vote on the proposed teachers' certified agreement this month.

The ballot will be run from February 8 to 26 and is a condition of the Industrial Relations Act.

The Act requires a valid majority of teachers to endorse the new agreement before it can be certified by the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission.

Department of Education and Training Workforce Relations Director Dave Waters said the ballot followed the State Government and the Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) reaching an in-principle agreement in November last year.

'Teachers with an active email address will receive an email with a link to a web-based ballot by February 8,' Mr Waters said.

'Those teachers on leave or without an active email address will receive a ballot paper and reply-paid envelope in the post by the same date.

'The ballot will close on February 26 with the results to be advised soon after.'

Mr Waters said the department was using its secure online collection tool, eSMART, to conduct the ballot.

'The ballot is confidential and all responses will be destroyed once the result has been finalised and the replacement agreement is certified,' he said.

'Although voting is not compulsory, all state school teachers are strongly encouraged to do so.'

Features of the proposed new agreement include:

  • a 12.5 per cent wage increase over three years for all teachers
  • increased base pay for new teachers, experienced classroom teachers and school leaders including principals
  • a one-off $500 resource grant for all classroom teachers other than new and senior teachers, and
  • access to enhanced summer vacation pay for temporary teachers.

A copy of the proposed agreement is available on the department's website or on OnePortal by clicking on the DET Services dropdown menu and following Human Resources > Awards and Agreements > Enterprise Bargaining.

To inform teachers about the agreement and the ballot the department is running a series of information sessions across Queensland.

Session details are available from the website or OnePortal.

The sites also feature additional information on the agreement and ballot process including frequently asked questions and a PowerPoint presentation.