The proposed ACT Public Sector Education Directorate (Teaching Staff) Enterprise Agreement 2023‑2026 has been resoundingly endorsed by ACT public school teachers, with an 83% vote in favour, says ACT Education Minister, Yvette Berry.
The Minister said the Enterprise Agreement will deliver nation-leading pay for public school teachers and a better classification structure that supports school leaders, new educators and experienced teachers.
“Union members told the Government that this is about pay, but it is also about time. This agreement outlines a clear approach to managing teacher workloads, so that our public school teachers and school leaders can do what they do best – teach and lead,” said Ms Berry.
“Already, the Education Directorate and the Australian Education Union have jointly established a Sustainable Workload Management Committee, to identify and address the systemic causes of teacher and school leader workload.
“As outlined in the 2023-24 ACT Budget, the Enterprise Agreement is backed by more than $201 million to help recruit more teachers, keep more teachers in the profession, and reduce the impacts of the national teacher shortage,” she said.
The Enterprise Agreement will now be provided to the Fair Work Commission and will commence seven days after their approval.
“I thank the Australian Education Union ACT Branch for their commitment to championing and advancing public education in the ACT,” Minister Berry said.