Casual relief teachers in Victoria are being ripped off. A casual relief teacher in New South Wales receives $440 a day, in Tasmania they receive $400 and in Western Australian, just $383.
However, in Victoria, their pay can be as low as $309 a day, and even less if they are not a citizen. This is because Victorian casual relief teachers are mostly forced to work through private agencies.
These agencies charge schools about $500 a day, with the teachers聽paid as little as one half of this amount.聽Victorian聽teachers聽are subject to two separate awards: the state award of $383 a day, which applies to all who work directly for a school;聽and聽the federal award of $250 a day, which applies only to聽casual relief teachers聽who work through an agency.
In practice, the bottom rate of $250 is reserved for聽teachers who are not citizens and cannot quit their job to find a better deal.
The rates paid to citizens vary聽from as low as $309 a day for inexperienced teachers, working through the Staffing Organisation Services agency, to $376 a day for highly-experienced teachers working through the ANZUK agency. This high rate is only paid if the teacher can prove聽their聽experience聽and聽is aware of the differential pay.
Inevitably, the agencies鈥櫬燿rive for profits means that聽they聽preference graduates.
Agencies keep teachers on their books by entering into exclusive聽and legally questionable contracts with schools, which prohibit them from employing teachers from outside that agency.
When an agency signs up all or most of the schools in a region, it effectively creates a closed shop. This is the case in Geelong, where dominates.
To make matters worse, many contracts forbid teachers from working directly for any school the agency has assigned聽them聽to, unless that school is willing to 鈥渂uy鈥澛爐hem聽from聽the agency at an exorbitant cost.
Agencies have been able to get away with this because of a shortage of work in major cities, allowing agencies to dictate the terms.
This changed聽in Victoria last year聽when the government adopted the Tutor Learning Initiative 鈥 a scheme that employs thousands of casual relief teachers聽as tutors, to help students catch up after the COVID-19聽lockdowns. This聽led to聽a shortage of聽casual relief teachers and a corresponding increase in聽their bargaining power.
The Australian Education Union鈥檚聽casual relief teacher聽group has is pressuring the聽government聽to聽pay the full Victorian award rate聽regardless of whether they work through an agency or directly for a school.
Exactly how this can be achieved is still debated.聽Some argue聽that the private聽agencies should be given a聽government聽subsidy聽if聽they pay the full $383 per day to each teacher. This approach has the advantage of ensuring that teachers who work through an agency are not financially disadvantaged.聽But, it聽would聽entail聽a large transfer of wealth from the government to private agencies.
Other聽casual relief teachers,聽including this聽author,聽want聽the government to聽mandate agencies聽to聽pay the full Victorian award of $383 per day. The schools would then be required to pay the full agency fee.聽This would force Victorian schools to employ聽casual relief teachers聽directly, as聽happens in聽other states.
Agency fees are wage theft and casual relief teachers in Melbourne and Geelong are currently losing up to $6000 a year.