1,000 signatures reached
To: QLD Catholic School Employers
QLD Catholic school employers first in Australia to threaten lockout of staff!
This campaign has ended.
Queensland Catholic school employers have resorted to threats and intimidation in an attempt to force an inferior collective agreement on their staff.
All school employees know that bullying behaviour must be confronted – in our schools and in our workplaces. We seek your support to help take a stand against employer threats to undermine the rights of union members to take lawful industrial action.
Why is this important?
The Independent Education Union - QLD & NT (IEUA-QNT) has been engaged in collective bargaining negotiations with Queensland Catholic school employers since May 2019.
In support of their unresolved bargaining claims, union members commenced a series of work bans in November 2019. These included banning attendance at staff meetings, banning additional supervisions and banning employer requests for data.
On Friday, 22 November 2019 the employers advised all staff that they would lockout over 7000 teachers and support staff indefinitely with no pay if they continued to apply their lawful work bans.
The employers now have the shameful title as the first Catholic school employers in the country to have ever threatened a lockout of their own staff.
The Catholic Church has a long history of commentary and advocacy on the dignity of the worker. These teachings support the rights of workers to withdraw their labour. The employers have betrayed not only their workers, but also the very values of the Catholic Church by seeking to intimidate and penalise their staff for taking lawful action.
Recent claims by Queensland Catholic school employers of having 'no intention to lockout employees' are inaccurate.
By seeking to invoke section 471(4) of the Fair Work Act against employees (who undertake work bans), employers refuse to “accept the performance of any work by the employee”.
The employer action would mean that employees undertaking the work bans would be excluded from work and effectively the school site.
What is needed for Catholic school staff:
* We call on Queensland Catholic school employers to immediately withdraw their threat to lockout their employees undertaking lawful work bans.
* We call on Queensland Catholic school employers to uphold established Catholic Church teachings regarding the dignity of the worker to be free from threats, coercion and duress.
* We call on Queensland Catholic school employers to bargain in good faith with Catholic school employees to resolve remaining issues of workload and wage parity.