Union blitz robs Queensland’s classrooms of teacher aides

Teacher aides were pulled out of class to meet union organisers conducting a “blitz” of state schools.

Education Department director-general Jim Watterston. Picture: Tim Marsden

Teacher aides were pulled out of class to meet union organisers conducting a “blitz” of state schools, under a deal between Queensland’s ALP government and a powerful trade union.

Leaked documents showing that Education Department director-general Jim Watterston told principals to “actively co-operate” with United Voice — formerly the Liquor Hospitality and Miscellaneous Union — will fuel criticism that Annastacia Palaszczuk’s minority government is in the pocket of unions that were instrumental in her narrow election win in 2015.

The Queensland boss of left-wing United Voice, Gary Bullock, has boasted that seven state Labor MPs, including cabinet ministers Steven Miles, Coralee O’Rourke and Mick De Brenni got into parliament with its backing. The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union, also of the labour left, has listed Deputy Premier Jackie Trad and Communities Minister Shannon Fentiman as being among its “card-carrying” members.

On coming to power, the Labor government resurrected a controversial “union encouragement” policy to bolster union membership in the public sector which had been scrapped by the previous Liberal National Party government under Campbell Newman.

Public schools across Queensland were told in May that teacher aides and cleaners had to be made available for 45-minute meetings with United Voice organisers when they visited. In the case of teacher aides, the meetings were to be conducted during school hours, either at the start of classes or ­before or following the morning or lunch recess.

The cleaners were to be ­released for meetings before or after the school day, but within rostered hours. In some instances, principals were not aware of the arrangements until they were contacted by union officials and told that it was now “government policy” that teacher aides be ­released from class.

Advice circulated to Gold Coast principals on May 8 by a manager at the regional office of the state Department of Education and Training said: “We only received this information this morning from Central Office; we were unaware of the blitz that the union was conducting within our schools over the coming weeks — apologies if you have had phone calls from the union without the attached information.”

In a memo to the department’s regional directors, Dr Watterston confirmed that United Voice officials were “permitted to access schools and to hold meetings and discussions with teacher aides and school cleaners during normal working hours” for a six-week ­period, starting on May 8.

Dr Watterston said all teacher aides and cleaners were to be released and requested to attend the meetings. “It is my expectation that all schools will actively co-operate with United Voice Queensland to facilitate each visit, provide venues and facilities for each meeting and to notify staff ahead of these meetings that they will occur,” the ­department chief wrote.

A principal of two decades’ standing told The Australian the instruction was unprecedented and classes were affected when the teacher aides were let out. “It was a significant disruption to the everyday running of the school,” the principal said. “I have only seen this since the last (state) election.”

Queensland Education Minister Kate Jones said the school ­access had been granted to United Voice to explain the terms of a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

“It is not surprising to me that the union that represents teacher aides and cleaners, the lowest-paid and most vulnerable workers in a school environment, feel the need to ensure that their members know what their entitlements are under the EBA,” Ms Jones said.

Sharron Caddie of United Voice said the union had worked with the department and schools to resolve any “logistical issues”.

But Queensland Teachers Union president Kevin Bates said QTU organisers as standard practice held meetings with members — teachers and principals — outside of class hours or during breaks.

Asked why teacher aides were made available during class time, Ms Jones said: “This EBA is different to the teachers in the sense that the workforce we are talking about, most are part-time or ­temporary workers.”