Several of TAFE`s national institutes have applied to Fair Work to tear up their employment contracts with teachers and force teachers to spend more hours of personal instruction. This may take time, but TAFE is committed to continuing to negotiate in good faith to try to reach an agreement with unions and thought representatives. Once these negotiations are complete, you will be invited to vote on a new enterprise agreement. In the meantime, the existing enterprise agreement, which covers salaries and conditions, remains in force. A number of negotiating issues have been identified and addressed, including quantum increases, the duration of the proposed agreement, terms of employment and current experimentation with staff functions. Discussions focused on scoping and further clarification, and more detailed negotiations were expected in subsequent rounds. Today, I attended a meeting of teachers and related staff held with the NSW AEU Teachers` Federation and self-proclaimed representatives, the 14th meeting that has taken place since the agreement expired last July. If you have specific questions, go to the website or email EBupdate@tafensw.edu.au If you have specific questions, I ask you to participate in forums organized in your establishment, go to the website or email EnterpriseBargaining2015@tafensw.edu.au If a company agreement is in service, the premium does not apply. The Federation, Victoria University, Swinburne University and RMIT TAFEs did not join the other institutes to rewrite the labour agreement.

To ensure that there is no uncertainty as to the validity of the NERR or any delays in the development of a new agreement, TAFE NSW has decided to end the ongoing negotiation process so that a new process can begin as soon as possible. The agreed 2.5% salary increase will be paid on February 23, 2017. This includes retroactive payments from the first full pay period, after TAFE NSW reached an agreement with the NSW Teachers Federation on December 2, 2016. If you have any questions, please visit tafensw.edu.au/enterprise-bargaining or email EnterpriseBargaining2015@tafensw.edu.au We discussed a number of areas in the agreement to help us move forward and complete it. I am confident that we will be able to work with the unions to negotiate a positive outcome in the near future. Your enterprise agreement defines the terms and conditions of your work, including your compensation, leave, work settlement and dispute resolution process. TAFE NSW is in the process of entering into negotiations for a new enterprise agreement for TAFE NSW employees, which will be covered by the TAFE Commission of NSW Teachers and Related Employees Enterprise Agreement 2013. The current agreement expires on June 30, 2015. We have created webinars to support the implementation and declaration of the agreement. Click below, and searh for TAFE-specific training to access these recordings. Under the current four-year employment contract, signed last October, a TAFE teacher`s time in the classroom is limited to 800 hours per year, while class planning and evaluation time is limited to 400 hours. If you have any questions, you can contact your local staff manager.