Attracting, retaining and remunerating women teachers

By

Sue Simpson

Women's Conference looked at bridging the gap between the lifetime earnings of men and women.

Staffing policies that acknowledge the multiple responsibilities of women teachers must be an essential component of any recruitment and retention strategy. In a female dominated profession, bridging the gap between the lifetime earnings of men and women must continue to remain a Federation priority.

Federation's Women's Conference considered policies to attract and retain women teachers in our public schools and TAFE colleges as 25,000 teachers retire over the next seven years. Because of breaks in service and family responsibilities women continue to be underrepresented in promotions positions and principal positions and overrepresented in part time, temporary and casual positions in primary and secondary schools as well as TAFE colleges. Not all teachers have access to paid maternity leave and even the 14 weeks is not world's best practice. All this translates into lesser retirement incomes.

According to the Department of Education and Training's 2007 annual report, women constitute 79.3 per cent of primary school teachers but hold only 65.3 per cent of primary promotions positions and 47.3 per cent of primary principal positions. Women constitute 54.1 per cent of secondary school teachers, but hold only 43.8 per cent of secondary promotions positions and only 32.8 per cent of secondary principal positions. This nevertheless represents a 10-15 per cent improvement in the representation of women in promotions positions and principal positions over the past 10 years. Women still represent 90.8 per cent of permanent part time and temporary teachers. In TAFE at least 70 per cent of teachers are employed as part time casual teachers, of whom 60 per cent are women. These workers have no access to paid parental leave.

DET's 2007 Equal Employment Opportunity report attributed "women remaining the primary carers of children and dependent family members" as an impediment to greater advances for women into leadership roles.

Women's increased participation in leadership positions has been assisted by Federation action. Federation negotiated improvements to maternity leave provisions such as the abolition of the after service requirement and an extension to 14 weeks paid maternity leave from nine weeks for those eligible teachers in schools and TAFE. There has been greater acceptance of permanent part time work and some teachers in promotions positions are now accessing permanent part time work. The creation of the temporary school teacher classification with pro rata conditions as for permanent teachers and the conversion of long term casual positions to permanent positions in schools has taken away the insecurity and pay barriers of casual teaching.

The TAFE staffing agreement is designed to increase permanency by allowing the conversion of some part time casual positions to temporary and the conversion of some long term temporary positions to permanent positions. The payment of related duties for TAFE part time casual teachers who teach ten or more hours a week has boosted income.

The maintenance of a teacher transfer system and proper procedures for staffing schools in a legally enforceable staffing agreement has provided an incentive for women (and men) to accept challenging staffing appointments and stay in public education.

Women's Conference renewed Federation and the union movement's call for the introduction of a universal paid parental leave scheme. This would ensure that all teachers would have access to paid parental leave. It is a proven measure to increase female workforce participation. The conference also supported the recognition of part time employment in other industries and part time child rearing for the purpose of incremental progression. Currently only full time employment or child rearing is recognised, not a combination of both.

There also needs to be cultural change in some workplaces to allow for greater recognition of the legitimacy of family responsibilities. This includes greater acceptance of part time work arrangements not only at classroom teacher level but also in promotions positions. An easier capacity to convert from permanent part time work to permanent full time work was seen by conference delegates as necessary for those women ready to return to full time work when their child care responsibilities are less intense. Women called for access to professional learning and compliance training during school hours.

The conference also considered a review of the staffing codes to take into account any potential gender bias and a call for adherence to equal employment opportunity principles in regard to pregnant women under the staffing agreement.

A salary restructure for school principals which places all principals on a common salary scale based on full time equivalent teacher numbers and the school's global budget would increase the number of higher level principal positions and so benefit women who are currently better represented in the lower/mid level principal positions. Additional female mentoring and leadership programs would also assist in increasing the number of women in leadership positions.

The conference called for proper implementation of the various TAFE staffing agreements and policies that increase the number of permanent and temporary positions as well as funding to provide for the co-location of pre-schools at school and TAFE colleges with priority places to be given to the children of teachers and TAFE students.

To increase the retirement incomes of women the conference called for superannuation payments as part of any universal paid parental leave scheme and a "baby bonus" of $1500 paid into super for those receiving the $5000 baby bonus. An increase in the government co-contribution for those earning less than $60,000 and a rebate of the 15 per cent contributions tax on superannuation contributions for employees with below average incomes was also supported as well as the guaranteed minimum provision for superannuation being raised form the current 9 per cent to 15 per cent of salary. Because of women's lesser working life incomes, there must be increases to the single age pension to compensate for this.

Federation's Council and Annual Conference will further debate measures to attract and retain teachers as well as changes to superannuation to compensate women for breaks in service.

Sue Simpson is Acting Senior Vice President.

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