Why our union grew when others declined
In 2008, Terry Wilson, drawing on over 30 years’ experience in Catholic education negotiations, completed a thesis on why the VIEU – the largest predecessor of IEU Victoria Tasmania – had achieved what few Australian unions managed between 1994 and 2004: growth.
Mechanics’ Institutes: building for culture
Mechanics’ institutes helped educate workers but also provided a model for setting up community facilities and amenities.
Year in review, 2025: New opportunities in training
The IEU’s 2025 training calendar delivered a comprehensive mix of skills-building, professional learning, and safety-focused programs designed for every stage of a member’s career.
Year in review, 2025: The IEU’s year in Tasmania
In 2025, Tasmanian IEU members turned collective action into wins: Catholic pay parity and workload relief, safer CET reporting, and visible equality advocacy.
Year in review, 2025: Occupational Health and Safety: training and advocacy
In 2025 we doubled down on OHS, training new Health and Safety Representatives (HSRs), supporting them on the job, and advocating for stronger laws – because too many employers still underestimate the risks in our schools.
Year in review, 2025: The Victorian Catholic school SIA campaign
It is only thanks to recent union-won amendments to the Fair Work Act that we can legally pursue a Single Interest Authorisation – and as this year has demonstrated, winning one is no easy feat.
Year in review, 2025: Independent schools
Staff are more willing to act, employers are feeling pressure to offer competitive salaries, and the IEU is advancing new standards for professional recognition and workload protection.
Year in review, 2025: Education Support staff
The so-called ‘offer’ from Victorian Catholic employers contained no ES-specific measures — showing why the IEU’s work with this crucial cohort is so important.
Friends’ School rejects events with weapons links
The Friends’ School has acted according to its principles by withdrawing from two events that list weapons manufacturers as major sponsors.
IEU celebrates SIA majority milestone
The IEU has secured majority support at all major school employers for its historic Single Interest Authorisation (SIA) campaign in Victorian Catholic education, with the final groups passing 50% this week.
ES in Victorian Catholic schools: end of year arrangements
Make sure you know your rights and entitlements for overtime, time off and attendance at the end of the school year.
IEU members reveal the biggest issues in Tasmanian Catholic schools
Members shared their time and thoughts generously in the recent survey, providing valuable insights into the key issues the union must address in upcoming negotiations.
Tasmanian Catholic schools member survey 2025: Workload dominates
In the survey of Tasmanian members working in Catholic schools, pay was a distant second to workload as the number one concern of respondents.
Staff retention: It pays to pay attention
Employers continue to ignore proven ways to attract and retain staff: better salaries, manageable workloads, fair pay and conditions for support staff, and safer workplaces, writes the Deputy General Secretary Kylie Busk.
IEU union basics
The lowdown on what a union is, what industrial action is and why fair bargaining and good faith bargaining orders are so important to workers.
End of year events: Make good choices
Your work end–of–year party is a great time to celebrate all that you and your colleagues have achieved. But don’t let this year’s celebrations become next year’s headaches.
SIA Update: One final push for fair bargaining
The IEU enters the final week of its historic Single Interest Authorisation (SIA) campaign in Victorian Catholic education seeking as many statements of support as possible.
Victorian treaty, yeah!
In late October 2025, the Statewide Treaty Bill 2025 passed both houses of the Victorian Parliament, making Victoria the first Australian jurisdiction to enact treaty legislation with First Peoples.
IEU calls for urgent climate action
Action on climate change is vital for safe, quality learning - two-thirds of Australian schools now face high climate risk.
Bargaining wins set the new industry standard in independent schools
With every win, IEU members raise standards that can’t be ignored. Independent educators are keeping pace with, and in some cases exceeding, gains made in the government and Catholic sectors.