EBA Negotiations Update

Formal negotiations have now commenced, with the APF bargaining team meeting regularly with representatives of the Department of Education to progress matters central to the Principal Class.

The APF maintains that Principal Class employees must be recognised and rewarded as a distinct group of employees with unique roles, responsibilities, and accountabilities. 

It is important to note that while our negotiations are confined to items within the scope of the Agreement, broader initiatives introduced under the current VGSA 2022, in particular time-in-lieu provisions and the management of teacher work, continue to have significant flow-on effects for school leaders. These measures, while aimed at improving teacher workload and compensation for work beyond the 38-hour week, have created unintended consequences that principals were required to manage carefully to minimise disputation and maintain school cohesion. 

The direct impact of these provisions on school leadership must be acknowledged and factored into current deliberations. The APF bargaining team continues to advocate strongly to ensure these realities are fully considered in negotiations.

We are conducting negotiations in accordance with the principles of good faith bargaining, under agreed protocols that place limits on what can be publicly disclosed or discussed. The APF remains firmly committed to advocating on the issues that matter most to our members, including workload, wellbeing and remuneration.