Queensland teachers forced to work while sick due to struggling relief system cracking under pressure

Queensland teachers are foregoing sick leave and are forced to work with Covid as the state’s relief system is struggling to find replacements with unions calling for urgent action.

Queensland teachers claim they are being forced to work when sick – including while infected with Covid – as the state’s replacement staff system struggles to cope with a surge in absences.

Some state school teachers say they have been forced to work while infectious, with unions calling for urgent action to fix the Teacher Relief and Contract Employment Register, which is struggling to meet the demands of schools.

After a record flu season, teachers are coming to work with Covid against peak health advice advising Queenslanders to stay home when sick to minimise the effects of Covid-19 in the community.

Queensland recorded 772 Covid cases and 2933 Influenza cases in the past week.

This comes as the Courier Mail reported the state’s teachers’ union saying the pool of relief teachers was unable to meet the schools’ demands.

Some relief teachers are refusing to work at certain schools because of violence and poor behaviour, which is leading to teachers working while sick.

Queensland Teachers’ Union said many teachers were being forced to work while sick, forgoing the leave entitlements they’re legally owed in order to deliver for their school communities.

“The Queensland Teachers’ Union continues to highlight the teacher shortage as a major issue facing public education,” a spokesman said.

Teacher with chalk in front of chalkboard.

“On any given day many schools are short on staff, illness just exacerbates these shortages.

The union is calling for issues plaguing the TRACER system to be reviewed.

“Issues with the TRACER system are a part of a bigger problem that needs urgent action at a national and local level,” a spokesman said.

A Department of Education spokesman said the department does not force teachers to work while they are sick.

“We are always looking to improve systems and practices to ensure placements can be made and available teachers are connected to opportunities through the TRACER service,” a spokesman said.

A teacher based in Logan said at their school teachers are being knocked back to take sick days and expected to work while having Covid.

“I was told I called in sick too late at 6:37am because tracer couldn’t find any relief teachers for the people that called in sick before me,” the Logan teacher said.

“I know Covid in our school is going around and teachers are coughing non stop and still coming in,” she said.

The Logan teacher said the long hours and constant abuse is placing pressure on teachers and leading replacements to decline urgent requests.

“I think the massive problem is the abuse we put up with, and such low pay. We are only paid for five hours a day when we are here a minimum seven to eight hours a day,” she said.

“We have five duty’s a week. On top of the mental load it’s the behavioural load. I have a student that is physically violent toward student, he will beat their heads in, and I have to continually evacuate the class.”

She said at the moment teachers are dealing with “80 per cent behaviour and 20 per cent” is left for teaching.

Aboriginal Elementary school teacher giving a presentation to the class. The students have their hands raised to ask questions in the classroom

“I feel like TRACER is a problem, with changing people to unavailable so quickly, but most teachers don’t want to teach certain grades because of the behaviours and zero support.”

Another Brisbane teacher told the Courier Mail that teachers are being guilted into coming to work when they’re sick.

“If they can’t get enough supply teachers, then deputies and principals take classes, or the school might combine classes for some periods,” she said.

With schools in the region also feeling the pressures, a Rockhampton teacher told the Courier Mail that many teachers will not take their leave entitlements over fear it will blow back in their face.

With teachers fronting up to classrooms with Covid, leading to kids and other staff members being infected.

“We are at the moment expected to come to work with Covid and keep a safe distance,” he said.

“Once one person is sick we are all sick - kids, teachers, families.”

Teachers Professional Association Queensland president Scott Stanford said teachers who are under the EBA are being pressured to present a doctors certificate for taking a day off.

“Teachers are being told you need a doctor’s certificate for one day and breaking their trust,” Mr Stafford said.

“Under the EBA its two or more days they require doctors certificate, it's a growing problems because we are so short staffed people on TRACER are picking and choosing where to go.

Mr Stafford said teachers are now doing “deals” with schools and bypassing the TRACER system to fill gaps in their schools.

“Teachers are now working with schools, to say call me first rather than go through TRACER and the deputy principals put that through TRACER afterwards,” Mr Stafford said.