Our union and the Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) have released landmark industrial guidelines to establish just and fair benchmarks for the employment of First Nations education workers.
The publication of the guidelines is the latest phase in our union’s campaign to Close the Industrial Gap between First Nations and non-First Nations identifying school staff.
Range of stakeholders
IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said First Languages Australia (FLA), the peak body committed to ensuring the future strength of all Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander languages, was closely involved in developing the guidelines.
“Other stakeholders involved include the United Workers’ Union (UWU), Queensland Department of Education, Brisbane Catholic Education (BCE) and Independent Schools Queensland (ISQ),” Mr Burke said.
“Aspects of critical work performed by First Nations teachers and school staff have gone unrecognised for too long.
“Our union strongly supports the delivery of First Nations language and culture programs in schools and wants to ensure viable career pathways for staff undertaking this work.
“Unions have a key role to play in ensuring that the contributions of First Nations education workers are recognised through appropriate, professional pay and conditions which reflect their crucial contribution to students’ understanding of Australia’s rich and diverse histories and cultures,” he said.
Years of work
Mr Burke said the guidelines were the culmination of years of work by First Nations union members and other stakeholders committed to closing the industrial gap experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Language and Culture educators in schools.
“Members of our union’s Yubbah Action Group, the committee overseeing our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP), initially sparked the idea for the establishment of industrial guidelines after recognising there was an urgent need to ensure viable career pathways for First Nations education workers,” he said.
“If we can play a role in bringing about changes that see the full richness and complexity of First Nations histories, cultures and perspectives assigned a greater value within schools and education systems, we can be satisfied that we have contributed to meaningful, sustained reconciliation across generations of education workers and students,” Mr Burke said.
A guide for employers
The guidelines were designed to give employers an understanding of what conditions of employment should be considered as necessary to support employees who are delivering First Nations languages and cultural education and provide value to the work carried out.
Such measures are essential to ensure that education systems recognise broader criteria of ‘success’ that reflect First Nations’ frames of reference rather than expecting First Nations Peoples to conform to norms derived from colonial constructs.
Additionally, our union is advocating to the Queensland College of Teachers (QCT) about the need for a unique, prestigious and fit-for-purpose system for the professional recognition of these workers instead of Permission to Teach (PTT), which is commonly used.
Mr Burke said it was positive some schools in our sector had already expressed interest in implementing the guidelines to improve First Nations education workers’ pay and working conditions.
“We hope more employers embrace the guidelines and that schools look to establish new, co-designed programs so students from all cultural backgrounds have access to high-quality, contextualised First Nations language and culture education,” he said.
“Our union is committed to helping implement the recommendations of FLA’s Yalbilinya Workforce Strategy, and our advocacy to the QCT and Northern Territory Teacher Registration Board (NT TRB) will continue.”
To order a physical copy of the Employees Delivering First Nations Language and Cultural Education Prorgrams guidelines, please email your request to enquiries@ieuqnt.org.au