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25 November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. This year's theme is “Orange the World: END VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN NOW!”  On this day we call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls.  We call on people everywhere to wear the colour orange and take action to end violence against women and girls in every community, at home, in public spaces, in schools and workplaces, during conflict and in times of peace. Violence against women and girls is among the most widespread and devastating human rights’ violations we face. A third of all women and girls [...]

Morrison’s Religious Discrimination Bill Enables Workplace Discrimination The Federal Government continues to polarise and disenfranchise the rights of IEU members who work in faith-based schools. On 25 November 2021, Prime Minister Scott Morrison introduced the Religious Discrimination Bill 2021. This is the third attempt by the Federal Government to amend religious discrimination legislation Do not be misled by the name of this Parliamentary Bill nor the rhetoric that accompanies its propose legislation.  This proposed legislation is purported to be protecting people from discrimination, instead it provides employers with new rights to discriminate.  The Religious Discrimination Bill 2021, if accepted will : [...]

Celebrating World Teachers' Day in Australia Deb James, IEUA President and IEU VICTAS Branch Secretary https://youtu.be/C6aP6qBuV2E

Australia’s education unions have thrown their support behind the School Strike for Climate movement, as students and supporters prepare for a national protest in advance of the Glasgow COP26 climate summit. The three unions, representing nearly 300,000 education workers, support this urgent call from students for a moratorium on new fossil-fuel projects, 100% renewable energy by the end of the decade and the funding of a just transition for fossil-fuel workers. A 2050 target is close to useless without a clear and credible plan to get there. That means cutting fossil-fuel subsidies and investing in the secure jobs of tomorrow, today. [...]

Teachers: Leading in crisis, re-imagining the future….. “Teachers have been absolutely outstanding during these incredibly hard times. Now is the time to stand together because together we have the power to effect real change in the world. We are the teaching and learning profession. If the world is to learn the lessons of the pandemic, teachers must take the lead.” (David Edwards, Education International General Secretary) On World Teachers’ Day, we celebrate and recognise the achievements of the teaching profession. Teachers are taking the lead in crisis to ensure all students can continue their education, under extraordinary circumstances. Teachers in preschool, [...]

Every day unions support members who have been sexually harassed at work According to the Australian Unions survey undertaken in 2018, two in three women and one in three men have experienced sexual harassment. There is a plan to make work safer, especially for women. The landmark Australian Human Rights Commission Respect@Work report has 55 recommendations to create stronger rights to eliminate sexual harassment. The Federal Government sat on this report for over a year before it was forced to act . A Bill was put before the Parliament, cherry-picking some recommendations but ignoring the very ones that would make the [...]

Equal Pay Day this year will be marking the 61 additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women must work to earn the same pay as men. In 2020, the number of additional days was 59. What Is Equal Pay Day? Equal Pay Day marks the additional days from the end of the previous financial year that women, on average, must work to earn the same as men earnt on average that year. It is a symbolic day that helps to raise awareness of the barriers women face in accessing the same financial rewards for their work [...]

The IEUA has made submission into the Quality Initial Teacher Review; particularly highlighting that quality initial teacher education cannot be supported in a situation where staff and schools are considerably time poor and struggling with inadequate resources Background Instead of engaging with IEU members on the issues significantly impacting the profession, the Federal Government has once again sought to make political gain from education policies. On 11 March 2021, the Hon Alan Tudge MP, Australian Government Minister for Education and Youth, delivered a speech which announced his intention to launch a review looking at the next evolution of reforms to initial [...]

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. [...]