TAFE Update: permanency conversions and lecturer progressions

Permanecy Conversions offered

The latest information from DFEEST is that of the total of 549 lecturers on contract as of 15 November, 376 have been offered conversion to permanent employment.

Of the 173 positions that were not converted, 76 were in newly created courses or in situations where TAFE is suggesting that ongoing funding is uncertain.

If lecturers object to the reasons given for not converting to permanent employment, they should consider lodging a grievance under Clause 3.1.4 of the TAFE SA Education Staff Arbitrated Enterprise Bargaining Award 2010.

In the first instance, we would suggest lodging the grievance with the Managing Director of the cluster. AEU members are able to get advice from the Union about how to best present your case.

Progression from Lecturer Leve 5 to 6

There appear to be some inconsistencies across programs with staff applying for and moving from Level 5 to 6. The AEU is keen to hear of any examples where staff are experiencing difficulty, particularly with respect to what is being required of them in the performance review meeting or where their qualifications are being challenged.

While there is a grievance resolution process under the award for individuals to pursue, it will assist the AEU in ensuring greater consistency across programs if we have details of issues that are arising.