Christine

Though the 21 June 2020 represents the 12 month anniversary of the ILO Convention on the Elimination of Violence and Harassment at Work, the Federal Government is yet to take any steps towards its ratification.  Background Last year, this ground breaking convention was successfully negotiated and adopted overwhelmingly at the International Labour Organisation in Geneva.   The two-year negotiation included ACTU and other world trade unions, ILO member governments and employer organisations. The ILO Convention 190 and Recommendation 206 established for the first time an international standard to prevent and eliminate violence and harassment at work.  It places obligations on governments to [...]

20 June 2020 is World Refugee Day On this day, IEU members call attention to the plight of those fleeing conflict or persecution and remind governments that all people seeking asylum are entitled to the full range of human rights and protections. World Refugee Day is an international day designated by the United Nations to honour refugees and asylum seekers. It acknowledges the strength and courage of people who have been forced to flee their home country to escape conflict or persecution. Currently, there are at least 70.8 million people around the world who have been forced to flee their home. [...]

The COVID 19 pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems. The year 2020 marked the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action and was intended to be ground breaking for gender equality.  Instead, the spread of COVID -19 pandemic has placed at risk the limited gender equity gains that had been made in the past decades. Pandemics and their resulting economic shocks affect men and women differently Emerging evidence on the impact of COVID 19 suggests that women’s economic and productive lives are affected disproportionately and differently from men. Across the globe, women earn [...]

On 16th May 2020, IEUA will join with the international education community to celebrate the essential role of Education Support Staff Education Support Staff undertake vital and varied roles in our schools, from administrators to librarians and student learning aides. The work of education support staff greatly enhances and supports quality education and has proven to be particularly important during the demanding times caused by  the  COVID 19 pandemic On 16th May, the IEUA calls upon all non government school employers to Respect Recognise and Reward education support staff in their schools

The Federal Government’s attempt to use funding arrangements to force non-government schools into transitioning away from remote learning is divisive and destructive wedge-politics. The IEU is deeply disappointed to see education funding yet again being used as a political weapon, particularly at a time when our staff and students need consistency, clarity and support from all levels of government. We call on non-government schools to reject this irresponsible federal government proposal, which brings no new funding or support to the table, compromises the safety of staff and students and seeks to exploit short term financial concerns. We call on state, territory [...]

In correspondence today the IEUA requested  the following assurances and commitments from the Federal Government: • Abstudy funding for all school students be maintained irrespective of modes of education delivery • Schools be eligible as employers to make application for JobKeeper based upon demonstration of a 15% loss of revenue instead of 30% • Arrangements to ensure that all early childhood education providers are supported to ensure their continued viability during the crisis • Systemic arrangements for the availability of appropriate PPE and enhanced levels of cleaning. As of this moment schools are experiencing severe shortages of appropriate PPE equipment across [...]

The IEUA Federal Executive has today urged school employers and governments to act with concern for and commitment to the health and safety of everyone in our school communities. Our schools and their staff have already acted professionally and capably to ensure that students and their learning are catered for during this crisis. Our members have responded magnificently to the need to ensure schools cater for the children of those workers who have nowhere else to be cared for during the day and for those children at risk in our community. In extraordinary circumstances and tight timeframes staff have developed opportunities [...]