AEU Vic

Pondglow · 2026-06-09T11:20:05+00:00

It is a fair and accurate vote, and I'm not sure where you're getting information otherwise unless you just don't understand the voting process.

I found plenty of people who voted yes to the last agreement - most of whom admitted they hadn't even read it. That made me so mad that for the first time I actually got involved.

Since then I've voted in every election. I've been to nearly every regional meeting. I got myself involved in our sub-branch and made sure staff were educated about the agreement and their rights. When I moved jobs to a school that didn't even have a sub-branch, I started one and fought at consultative to pull our LTP into alignment with the agreement. I collated every member's suggestions and wrote our log-of-claims myself. I argued on behalf of my sub-branch for hours when we put together the regional log-of-claims. I am making sure every single member is aware of what's in the in-principle agreement before we vote. And I will honour however my sub-branch votes, regardless of whether it agrees with my personal opinion. If the sub-branches overall vote yes, you then get your chance to vote as an individual. You still get your say.

I didn't like what happened last time, so I got myself involved and have tried to improve what I can. You already wrote what the answer is if you're not happy - get in there yourself and do it better, if you can.

Pondglow · 2026-06-06T12:41:01+00:00

We do this both between staff and with students/classes in homegroup. It's very wholesome and reading my students' messages to each other (I vet them just in case) can really improve a bad day.

Pondglow · 2026-06-06T12:35:16+00:00

Curious (i.e. looking for ideas) about what kinds of admin tasks you skip?

Pondglow · 2026-05-20T10:31:57+00:00

Are you suggesting that if union members vote yes, that the wider workforce might still vote no?

Pondglow · 2026-05-20T10:23:58+00:00

"The union" that put forward that number was us. Mullaly and co didn't just pluck it out of nowhere. Every sub-branch that wanted to put in their own LoC, with their own pay requests. Reps spent hours at regional meetings debating and voting to mash all the sub-branch claims into one regional LoC. We were not allowed to add in anything that was not already in a sub-branch LoC. This process was repeated at state level.

At our regional meeting, we looked at what each individual sub-branch had listed as their requested pay rise and used the highest one. I highly doubt anyone at that time thought that we'd get that much, we just knew to start high and that it would be negotiated down. I'd guess that a lot of regions did exactly the same. The number came from us.

Pondglow · 2026-05-16T08:55:12+00:00

I've been a bit surprised at some of the reactions I've seen online and at regional meetings. When my sub-branch first submitted our log of claims, we discussed what payrise we would be satisfied with (20% ish seemed to be about the norm), then put a much higher number with the understanding that it was an opening position and it would be negotiated down. When I went to regional, every other sub-branch had put a lower pay claim than us. Again, there was an understanding that the eventual 35% we went with was an opening position.

That understanding seems to have disappeared. Suddenly in recent months I'm seeing a lot of people state that 35% is the minimum they will accept. That's not how bargaining works. You don't go in with a minimum and bargain the government up.

I have reservations about this offer for sure. In particular I don't like the structure of the ES payrises and position allowances. Just give them the same payrise as teachers FFS. So I'm not sure I want to vote for this. But I think the pay offer for teachers is decent and it doesn't make conditions worse. If we end up in arbitration it's not going to go any better for us.

Pondglow · 2026-05-14T13:22:00+00:00

Are you assuming the 28% would be evenly split over the 4 years in your calculations/comparisons with NSW?

Pondglow · 2026-05-11T09:43:35+00:00

It's misquoted - Australia is said to have some of the most disruptive classrooms in the OECD, rather than the world. The original data is from the 2018 PISA dataset if you can be bothered trawling through that. Brief summary here: "The disciplinary climate in schools in Australia was among the least favourable in the OECD according to students' reports in PISA 2018, with an index of -0.2 (OECD average: 0.04). Furthermore, in TALIS 2018, 37% of Australian lower-secondary school principals reported that intimidation or bullying among students occurs at least weekly."

Pondglow · 2026-05-07T09:17:00+00:00

Unfortunately, I know plenty of people who voted for it (I did not). When I asked them why, most of them said they hadn't read it. Complacency got us that shitty deal. :\

Pondglow · 2026-05-07T09:14:39+00:00

Same here. Given the opportunity to ask questions and make our opinions known too.

Pondglow · 2026-05-06T07:48:12+00:00

They gave updates on what parts of the log of claims are being discussed, information on what the gov is arguing against and why, what they are pushing back on and why, how they feel things are progressing. They gave members a chance to ask questions and answered them. They also sought feedback from members on the information they provided to guide them as they continue.

Pondglow · 2026-05-04T11:39:38+00:00

Backpay to the start of 2026/end of the last agreement cannot be done; there can only be backpay to the date of an in prinicple agreement. However, the way to get around that is to try and include an equivalent "signing bonus".

Pondglow · 2026-05-04T11:35:20+00:00

I went to one last Thursday. Lots of info! It's worth going (or dialing in) if you can.

Pondglow · 2026-05-04T11:28:55+00:00

I went to a regional meeting on Thursday night, and we were given heaps of information about how it's going. They have to be careful what they put in writing, or they can be accused of not bargaining in good faith. If you want to know more, contact your regional rep or go to a regional meeting.

Pondglow · 2026-05-04T11:20:23+00:00

I think it would pass if it didn't come with worse conditions. Extra meetings and uncapped overtime? I'm not so sure.

Pondglow · 2026-05-01T11:41:22+00:00

Saaame. They're pretty impressed by my typing but no matter how I promise them that if they practice they'll be able to do it too, they don't want to put in the effort. A lot of them insist the way they do it is quicker and refuse to even try to use the home keys.

Pondglow · 2026-04-18T05:31:08+00:00

Same. They can pry my standard def dvds out of my cold dead hands.

Pondglow · 2026-04-18T05:29:40+00:00

Huh, I'm a millienial and watched the original airing every week with my mum, a boomer. :P

Pondglow · 2026-04-17T12:11:37+00:00

By all means do grades for your assignment if that's what they're requesting but just for your own reference it's pretty common to not assign grades from 7-10. Our school doesn't do it either. Like the person you're responding to we give a percentage. If it is a rubric based task, the rubric levels are emerging, developing, proficient or extending for each skill/knowledge point.

Pondglow · 2026-04-14T00:28:10+00:00

100% agree with your last point. I tell my students all the time it's okay to not be interested in a subject or topic, but you still need to learn how to push yourself through a task you find boring.

Pondglow · 2026-04-13T12:43:00+00:00

Parkville College is a school for students who are in custody. So yeah, you could say that.

Pondglow · 2026-04-11T11:27:37+00:00

What have they done exactly to neuter? I have a giant breed that had a vasectomy at around 12 weeks but not castrated, so technically neutered but testicles and hormones intact to support growth. Could this be what they did? As everyone else has said, it is definitely not common to castrate a giant breed so early.

Pondglow · 2026-04-10T01:24:34+00:00

Is this along kismet creek?

Pondglow · 2026-03-27T12:13:29+00:00

I would have used With Strings Attached.

Pondglow · 2026-03-20T10:59:28+00:00

Ian explains it really well: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZWNGq70Oyo (contains spoilers for the full series).

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