Frustrated by stalled negotiations and legal barriers that prevent them from taking formal industrial action, Catholic educators across the state are making their voices heard in the only way they can.
Beyond pay and conditions, the real fight is for a single interest agreement, which would allow Catholic educators across dioceses and organisations to negotiate collectively, rather than being fragmented.
Current multi-employer bargaining laws prevent Catholic education union members from taking industrial action, with both employees and unions facing potential fines or penalties.
Victoria is the only state in Australia where Catholic union members are excluded from the benefits of a single interest agreement, which facilitates more effective, collective bargaining.
Independent Education Union representative and St Joseph’s teacher Jerrod Davison will be one of many teachers wearing black and putting up signs around the campus fence line — but all before school.
He wants to see change in this sector and believes the only way to see that is collectively.
“We want the parent community to understand that we don't feel like we're being given the just hearing in our bargaining,” he said.
Mr Davison said the stakes were particularly high in a cross-border town such as Echuca.
With a new Catholic school currently under construction across the bridge, the pressure to retain staff is mounting.
“We want the parent community to understand that if you’re losing teachers to NSW or losing teachers to government schools — it means the quality of teaching is going to fall away,” he said.
On the IEU Victoria Education website, it says in the single interest agreement IEU is bargaining for fair pay to keep in line with government schools, measures to address unsustainable workload, more supportive workplaces and protections of conditions.
Mr Davison explained that Catholic education wages were typically competitive with government schools, with concerns lying mainly with working conditions.
“Teachers aren’t being paid for school camps … there’s an increasing level of disengagement and violence in classrooms,” he said.
“We need all these issues addressed in the new EBA (enterprise bargaining agreement) — and we want parents to know that.”
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