Your actions on 23 April were critically important and resulted in a far better offer presented from the employer than had previously been on the table in negotiations for the 2023 General Agreement. 

Now you have an equally important role to play by casting your vote for or against the agreement in principle that is being presented to you.

Perhaps most significantly of all, workload reduction measures have been addressed in this third offer. The importance of these workload related conditions cannot be overstated. Survey after survey our members have told us that overwhelming red tape was reducing their time for actual teaching.

Crucial among these measures in steering the Executive to recommend acceptance were:

• A positive effort to manage class size issues including:
  • Improved classroom support and small group tuition to 13,000 students in 350 schools.
  • Clear instructions to school leaders that they will provide additional support to teachers asked to manage oversize classes and that they will take into account the number and proportion of students on individual plans when providing that support.
• An additional 64 FTEs to be engaged as complex behaviour support coordinators across 192 schools.
• A direction to apply student documented plans only in specific circumstances.
• Professional learning will include employee choice, as well as required online professional learning to be completed for the purposes of legislative and system requirements only. 
• A new Workload Ministerial Taskforce which will include the SSTUWA and which will report directly to the Minister for Education. 
• Long Service Leave: Access to pro rata long service leave during the first accrual period after completion of seven years continuous services.

All of these improvements and more were made in offer three – directly influenced by the stop work action. These are your wins.

The voter information package, found at sstuwa.org.au/GA2023 includes symbols highlighting what was received in the third offer and what is directly linked to a Facing the Facts recommendation.

After years of being disadvantaged, teachers who want to make a long-term contribution in rural and regional areas will be able to do so with the safety of being able to revert back to their substantive positions. 

There will also be proper support and security for those seeking to work as a regional school leader. Again, they will retain their substantive positions for three years.

In terms of salary the final offer is five per cent, four per cent, three per cent with no trade-offs of any conditions, with additional salary classification increments for senior teachers and level 3 leaders. There have also been positive changes made to levels for principals.

This offer delivers salary increases of 12 per cent over three years. Each year delivers increases above the predicted rate of inflation, by one per cent, one per cent and 0.5 per cent respectively. 

On salaries alone members will be around $10,000 to $20,000 better off by the end of the agreement. 

For many this increase will be improved by a switch to district allowances which 
in some locations offer almost $6,000 per annum.

Graduate teachers would be some of the best paid in Australia. Senior teachers would also see significant salary improvements, as would school leaders.

Overall, there are significant gains for every teacher, in every location. I urge you to read all the information being provided to you in print and online.

Members are the crucial voice in all of these deliberations and it will be your vote that counts as the process moves forward.