[2020] QIRC 212
General information, not legal advice.
Queensland Industrial Relations Commission
2020-12-16
Original judgment source is linked above.
Department of Education State School Teachers' Certified Agreement 2019
ABCC v CFMEU [2009] FCA 1092
Australian Capital Territory v Australian Education Union [2010] FWA 3454
Department of Education and Training v Queensland Union of Teachers (D/2020/43)
New South Wales Department of Education v New South Wales Teachers Federation [2010] NSW IRComm 55
State of Queensland v Shankar [2014] QIRC 159
The Director-General, Department of Education v The State School Teachers' Union of WA (Incorporated) [2010] WAIRComm 219
Ms C Toy of Crown Law on behalf of the State of Queensland (Department of Education)
Ms T Edmunds, with Mr C Wood, of the Queensland Teachers Union of Employees
All QTU members are hereby directed to cease all activities associated with the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for the remainder of 2020 and the 2021 school year.
At the close of the ballot yesterday, more than 94 per cent of the more than 8,000 members who participated voted to ban NAPLAN in all its forms.
While the ballot return is lower than the usual voter turnout, the intention of members participating in the ballot was clear - NAPLAN must go.
In accordance with the ballot outcome, Executive last night decided to issue the following Directive:
All QTU members are hereby directed to cease all activities associated with the National Assessment Program - Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN) for the remainder of 2020 and the 2021 school year.
The QTU has previously outlined the many issues with NAPLAN (refer to Newsflash 41-20), and these issues remain. This current ballot is the latest in a long series about concerns with NAPLAN.
A ban on all activities associated with NAPLAN includes ceasing:
This directive applies to all QTU members, irrespective of whether they participated in the recent ballot. The QTU's message for the past few years has been clear - NAPLAN in all its forms must go.
A negotiating party for a proposed bargaining instrument has a right to take protected industrial action for the proposed instrument, subject to this part.
233 When industrial action is protected industrial action
(1) Industrial action is protected industrial action for a proposed bargaining instrument if the industrial action -
(b) is not industrial action to which section 234 applies.
(a) organised, or engaged in, by a protected person for the purpose of -
(i) supporting or advancing claims made in relation to the proposed instrument; or
(ii) responding to industrial action mentioned in paragraph (b)(i) by an employer who will be covered by the proposed instrument; or
(b) organised, or engaged in, by an employer who will be covered by the proposed instrument for the purpose of -
(i) supporting or advancing claims made in relation to the proposed instrument; or
(ii) responding to industrial action mentioned in paragraph (a)(i) by an employee who will be covered by the proposed instrument.
(3) The following persons have not contravened, before the industrial action starts, the requirement to negotiate in good faith under section 173 -
(a) if the industrial action is a strike by an employee who will be covered by the proposed instrument - the negotiating party for the employee;
(b) if the industrial action is a lockout by an employer who will be covered by the proposed instrument - the employer.
(4) If the industrial action is engaged in by employees, the employees likely to be engaging in the industrial action have, before the industrial action is engaged in, been approved by the registrar under section 235 to engage in the industrial action.
(5) Before the industrial action is engaged in, notice of the industrial action must have been given under section 236.
(6) The industrial action may be engaged in during conciliation for the proposed bargaining instrument.
protected person, for a proposed bargaining instrument, means -
(a) an employee organisation that is a negotiating party for the proposed instrument; or
(b) an officer or employee of that employee organisation acting in that capacity; or
(c) an employee who is a member of that employee organisation and will be covered by the proposed instrument.
234 When industrial action is not protected industrial action
(1) Industrial action is not protected industrial action for a proposed bargaining instrument if the industrial action is engaged in -
(a) on or before the nominal expiry date of any existing bargaining instrument or arbitration determination that will be replaced by the proposed instrument; or
(b) during any peace obligation period for the proposed instrument.
(2) Industrial action is not protected industrial action for a proposed bargaining instrument if the industrial action is engaged in during arbitration for the proposed instrument.
(3) The following persons must not engage in industrial action to which subsection (1) or (2) applies -
(a) an employee who will be covered by the proposed instrument;
(b) an employee organisation that is a negotiating party for the proposed instrument;
(c) an officer or employee of that employee organisation acting in that capacity;
(d) an employer who will be covered by the proposed instrument.
1 Strike means the conduct of 2 or more employees employed or formerly employed by an employer, if -
(i) a wilful failure to perform work required under the employees' employment contracts;
(ii) the performance of work by the employees in a way that it is not customarily performed;
(iii) the adoption of a practice or strategy by the employees resulting in a restriction, limitation or delay in the performance of work or a restriction or limitation of the product of work;
(iv) a ban, restriction or limitation on the performance of work or accepting or offering work;
(v) a wilful failure of the employees to attend work that is not allowed by the employer;
(vi) a wilful failure of the employees to perform work in a way that is not allowed by the employer; and
**(b) the conduct occurs because of a combination, agreement or understanding, express or implied, entered into by the employees for any of the following purposes - **
(i) to compel or induce an employer to agree to employment conditions;
(ii) to compel or induce an employer to employ or stop employing a person or class of persons;
(iii) to compel or induce an employer to comply with demands made by the employees or any other employee;
(iv) to help employees in the employment of another employer to compel or induce the other employer in a way mentioned in subparagraph (i), (ii) or (iii);
(v) to cause loss or inconvenience to an employer in the conduct of business;
(vi) to incite, instigate, aid, abet or procure another strike.
2 Also, strike includes conduct capable of constituting a strike under paragraph (a) even though the conduct relates to only part of the functions the employees must perform in their employment.
3 However, strike does not include action by an employee if -
(a) the action was based on a reasonable concern by the employee about an imminent risk to the employee's health or safety; and
(b) the employee did not unreasonably contravene a direction of his or her employer to perform other available work at the employee's workplace, or another workplace, that was safe and appropriate for the employee to perform.
(1) The commission has the power to do all things necessary or convenient to be done for the performance of its functions.
(2) Without limiting subsection (1), the commission in proceedings may -
(a) give directions about the hearing of a matter; or
(b) make a decision it considers appropriate, irrespective of the relief sought by a party; or
(a) notice of a dispute has been given by a party under section 261(2); or
(b) whether or not a notice of a dispute has been given under section 261 - the commission considers it is in the public interest to take action under this section in relation to the dispute.
(2) Subsection (1)(b) applies irrespective of whether the parties are attempting to resolve the dispute.
(3) The commission may take the steps it considers appropriate for the prevention or prompt settlement of the dispute, by -
(b) if the commission considers conciliation has failed and the parties are unlikely to resolve the dispute - arbitration.
(4) Without limiting subsection (3), the commission may do 1 or more of the following -
(a) direct any industrial action in relation to the dispute to stop or not happen;
(b) make orders, or give directions, of an interlocutory nature;
(c) exercise the commission's powers under section 473 (whether or not application under that section has been made) to grant an interim injunction;
(d) make another order or exercise another power the commission considers appropriate for the prevention of, or the prompt settlement of, the dispute.
Section 230 of the Act is designed to answer the discrete question that is before it, to resolve a dispute between the relevant parties. It does not permit the Commission to do any more.
Was the industrial action protected or unprotected?
[2] Department of Education and Training v Queensland Union of Teachers (D/2020/43).
[3] State of Queensland v Shankar [2014] QIRC 159, 4.
[4] Teaching in State Education Award - State 2016 cl 12.7.
[5] ABCC v CFMEU [2009] FCA 1092.
[6] Australian Capital Territory v Australian Education Union [2010] FWA 3454.
[7] New South Wales Department of Education v New South Wales Teachers Federation [2010] NSW IRComm 55.
[8] The Director-General, Department of Education v The State School Teachers' Union of WA (Incorporated) [2010] WAIRComm 219.
State of Queensland (Department of Education)
Queensland Teachers Union of Employees [2020] QIRC 212