Private schools to face Fair Work commission after staff cutbacks
Private schools including Haileybury College and Ballarat’s Clarendon College are being taken to the Fair Work Commission in a fight against staff stand-downs.
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Private schools are being taken to the Fair Work Commission in a fight against staff stand downs amid the coronavirus epidemic.
The Independent Education Union will today file disputes against Haileybury College, and will tomorrow file against Ballarat Clarendon College.
Ivanhoe Grammar may also be in the firing line after the union received reports that its staff had been told staff stand downs were imminent.
The dispute at Haileybury comes after the Herald Sun reported last week that up to 50 staff from the music department across four campuses had been stood down.
AtBallarat Clarendon College, it’s understood that staff at the school’s King Island campus had been told they were no longer required and had effectively been marooned.
The Herald Sun has been told that staff were informed that accommodation would be available for the next two weeks, but there was no certainty regarding flights or shelter beyond that.
The IEU will argue that these “well-established high-fee schools” have enough resources to redistribute staff to ensure they remain employed.
IEU General Secretary Deb James said “a handful of high-fee schools are seeking to balance their books at the expense of their most vulnerable employees rather than dipping in to their own significant financial buffers”.
“Staff stand-downs should be a matter of last resort, and we do not believe that in these
very early days of remote learning implementation schools can have genuinely
considered every avenue for continuing the employment of staff,” she said.
“In the Haileybury case, we understand that the majority of families want music lessons to continue — so the argument that there is a stoppage of work beyond the employer’s control simply doesn’t stack up.
“We will continue to oppose any unreasonable threat to the employment of our
members.”
A statement from the IEU said cuts were premature and unjustified and had displayed “a lack of loyalty to hardworking staff as well as a lack of respect for students and families”.
Haileybury principal Derek Scott said the school was “working through a range of issues with regards to staff workloads in areas where there is a stoppage of work”.
“We continue to deliver a high quality virtual classroom music program and are in the process of assessing demand for individual music and group music tuition.
“Haileybury’s commitment is to maintain the continuity of high-quality education to all students as we work our way through the ever-changing impacts of the COVID-19 situation.”
Ballarat Clarendon College principal David Shepherd said: “ It is not appropriate to comment as the matter is before the FWC.”
Ivanhoe was contacted for comment.