Who does this Agreement cover?
AHPA (Allied Health Professionals Agreement)
- Social Workers
- Speech & Language Pathologists
What is an Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA)?
An EBA is an agreement between union members and the employer, the Department of Education, that defines and protects your wages and working conditions.
Your EBA, the AHPA, and the Tasmanian State Service Award determine how much you are paid, your leave entitlements, hours of work, conditions at work and a range of other entitlements and protections.
Agreements are usually in place for one to five years or until a new one is in place. They are negotiated by your Australian Education Union (AEU) representatives before being voted on by all members covered by the Agreement.
The current situation
The current Agreement expired on June 30, 2022, but will continue to operate until a new Agreement is in place.
Salary increases normally occur in the first full pay period of December, but a new Agreement is needed to achieve a salary increase in December 2022.
This Log of Claims guides your AEU negotiation team in bargaining.
Unlike the Teachers Agreement, there are several other unions involved in AHPA negotiations.
How can I help?
Become a campaign champion – we need members talking to members about the bits of the Log of Claims that will make a difference to you and members in your workplace – Teacher Assistants talking about the need to reduce stand down, all ESP talking about the need for salary increases that are competitive with other states and catch up with cost of living increases, Allied Health Professionals talking about the need for reduced caseloads and incentives to attract additional staff to schools, etc.
Talk to your colleagues and talk to your school communities – our working conditions are student learning conditions so everything we are fighting for benefits our students and communities, as well as members.
Contact support@aeutas.org.au to get involved.
Log of Claims summary:
- Maintain all existing salary and working conditions
- Annual wage increases and equitable salary structure
- Increased Allied Health Professionals, e.g. Social Workers and Speech and Language Pathologists to reduce caseloads
- The addition of ‘Special leave’ provisions as per Teacher Agreement
- Cost of WWVP check paid by DoE
- Improved accessibility of Professional Learning
- Incentives to assist with staffing in isolated schools
- Increased recreational leave for parity with other professions in schools and colleges
- Salary sacrificing currently available to teachers extended to Allied Health Professionals
- Access to more DoE jobs for Allied Health Professionals
- Access to a vehicle when working across multiple sites
- Paid Reproductive Health and Wellbeing Leave
- Improved paid parental leave
- Plus much more!
What is a Log Of Claims?
A Log of Claims sets out the issues that members want addressed in their next Agreement and how they should be changed. It guides your AEU negotiation team in bargaining.
Log Of Claims
- Maintain all existing salary and working conditions for AEU members.
- Annual wage increases that make Tasmanian salary scales competitive with other states and territories.
- Restructure existing AHP salary scales to achieve parity with school psychologist pay scales.
- Determination of appointment level be made by supervising Senior Professional using agreed rules, including recognition of experience, length of degree, post-graduate qualifications and regional incentives.
- Remove barriers and unnecessary application processes to ensure Allied Health Professionals can advance on the classification structure in an equitable way that supports staff retention.
- Recreational leave parity for school social workers and speech pathologists to match that of school psychologists (and senior school psychologists).
- Increased Allied Health Professional staff to reduce excessive caseloads:
- Increased Speech Pathologist, Occupational Therapist, Social Worker and Youth Worker positions (1:500 staff:student ratio for Social Workers and Speech Pathologists).
- Extend existing salary sacrificing arrangements for teachers to AHP staff.
- Cost of Working With Vulnerable People registration to be paid by employer as ‘tool of trade’.
- Right to work from a co-located base office or from home when face to face contact is not required, with approval of line manager.
- Incentive payments for understaffed, regional and remote areas that are equitable to teacher incentives and attract and retain Allied Health Professionals.
- All Department of Education jobs not requiring a teaching qualification be open to Allied Health Professional Agreement employees.
- Payment of a mentoring/preceptor allowance for AHPs supporting student placements.
- Increase to Professional Development Fund; widen scope and improved clarity about what it can be used for.
- Right to accrue hours during terms to be taken off in school holidays.
- Access to an employer-owned vehicle be provided to AHP required to travel between multiple work sites on a regular basis.
- Ensure first-year Allied Health Professionals receive paid time prior to commencing duties to attend a specialised professional development induction program provided centrally by the DoE.
- ‘Special Leave’ as available under Teachers Award covering serious illness of a near relative, state/national level sport participation, court appearances and emergency services obligations.
- Paid Reproductive Health and Wellbeing Leave to recognise events and life stages that are not illnesses but that require paid time to manage.
- Leave provision and support for First Nations cultural activities inside and outside of schools and a review of the effectiveness of current DoE First Nations policies and initiatives.
- Improved parental leave provisions that are in line with best practice, provide greater family flexibility and address gender inequality and discrimination.
- Increased paid Family and Domestic Violence Leave.
- Encourage greater consultation with AEU members.
- Review Award and Agreement to make a range of improvements and additions required to promote gender equity and diversity.
- Review of Award and Agreement to improve Workplace Health and Safety and modernise clauses.
