Know your rights?

Rostered duty time (RDT), meal breaks and rest pauses, repayment of non-contact time (NCT), staff meetings and consultation – how much do you know about them? Do you know for sure that there are no infringements upon your working conditions? Who ensures that these things are correct at your school?

Approximately 100 dedicated QTU members who attended combined branch meetings on the Sunshine Coast in the first week of May received updates on these important conditions. The combined Caboolture/Morayfield meeting was so well attended, additional tables had to be put out.

From the robust conversations that occurred and the number of questions raised during these meetings, it is clear that members are keen to better understand their working conditions. With the recent updates to the certified agreement and award, there is a reasonable amount of information for members to process. Those who attended the combined meetings were taken through some of the new conditions that have resulted from EB8. However, not everything was discussed, nor could every individual school context be addressed. As a result, it is important that members are aware of these updates.

What can you do to be better informed? Attend a branch meeting. Updates from your QTU Organiser and the Council reports tabled are great sources of information for members. In addition to this, the QTU has developed a range of guides to help you better understand your professional and industrial rights.

Basic Guides can be found on the QTU website under publications. They cover:

  • Beginning your teaching career
  • Timetabling: classroom teachers (primary and special schools)
  • General working conditions
  • Leave entitlements
  • LCCs
  • Understanding basic legal rights
  • Non-contact time.

Why is this important? An informed QTU member, is an empowered QTU member.

Giau Nguyen                                                                                                                     Acting Industrial Research Officer

Thalia Edmonds                                                                                                             Industrial Advocate

Queensland Teachers' Journal, Vol 122 No 4, 2 June 2017, p16