BALLARAT Catholic school teachers will get a big pay increase as part of a deal reached with the state's Catholic Education Commission. The new wage deal will bring them into line with their state school colleagues, who themselves secured a new pay and conditions agreement with the State Government earlier this year.
Victorian Independent Education Union secretary Deb James said she was happy with the new agreement, which still needs to be ratified by union members in Catholic schools over the next two weeks.
"The centrepiece of the agreement is raising the wage of teachers in schools to be commensurate with their New South Wales' counterparts," Ms James said.
First year teachers will get $52,570, up from about $46,000, and senior teaching staff will get $75,500, $10,000 more than their current $65,414.
Other Catholic school staff including office workers will also get a pay rise under the deal.
Ballarat Catholic Education Office chief executive officer Larry Burn said he welcomed the relatively quick resolution to negotiations after the government school teachers' deal in May.
But he said with no increase in State Government funding for Catholic schools in the current budget, the Catholic system would struggle to pay for the increases in future.
"It means that we can't spend any new money on any new programs and that is a real problem," Mr Burn said.
"Especially in the context where the State Government . . . in the last budget introduced quite significant new money into state education."
Earlier this month, the State Opposition committed to increasing funding for Catholic schools if it was voted in at the next election.
The Victorian Government pays for 16 per cent of Catholic schools' funding, with 58 per cent given by Federal Government and the remainder generated by school fees.
Ms James also called for more State Government money to be given to Catholic schools.
"The Victorian Government funds Catholic schools in this state at a level that is lower than the level at any other state or territory in this country."
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