Wondered why AEU Councillors voted Yes?

Dear Colleagues,

Many of you have probably wondered why the majority of AEU Councillors voted for this agreement, which many if not most classroom teachers think stinks?

Please take a few minutes to read this and you may understand why.

Yesterday AEU Council met. the primary and secondary sector meet first, separately to deal with their own specific issues. Then we meet as a joint council and finally as Branch Council, which means primary, secondary, early childhood and TAFE. SSO's join in from the beginning and attend the relevant separate sector meeting and then join in the Joint and Branch Council meetings.

At both primary and secondary council meetings yesterday we had to vote to fill vacant council positions. At both primary and secondary there 2 vacant positions. At primary 2 AEU members nominated for each position and at secondary there was only 1 nomination for one of the positions but 3 for the second.

The rule pertinent to such situations reads as follows; Where the unexpired portion of the term of a position in which an extraordinary or casual vacancy occurs does not exceed three quarters of the term of the position, the relevant sector council may appoint a financial member of the sector or sub-sector and the relevant region or group of regions or the relevant TAFE institute to fill the position.

At secondary sector Justin Mullay, Deputy Vice President of secondary, read out the 3 names for the position, for which 3 members had nominated and then moved a motion that we appoint one of them. Teachers Alliance Councillors were surprised, to say the least and I objected and asked why an election was not taking place so that a democratic process would determine which of the 3 candidates should fill the vacancy. Norrian Rundle also a Teachers Alliance councillor pointed out that we had no information about any of the 3 candidates and yet we were being asked to blindly vote for one, the one the AEU officials had obviously anointed. Another councillor spoke to support one of the other candidates.

The majority of councillors dutifully put up their hands for the anointed one. Apparently the same scenario took place at primary council. I am really outraged at this lack of democracy. Secondly I believe that the logic of this implies that the AEU officials don't even trust their own councillors to vote the 'right' way, they have to pick out the suitable candidate. Thirdly, how dare they determine, without a fair process which candidate is more suitable or deserving enough to represent AEU members as a councillor. Obviously, they are worried about 'ordinary' members putting themselves forward because they may ask questions or even challenge the direction that these officials want.

Next year there will be elections which they cannot control. We need to take back control of our union to make it a democratic and strong union, one which is willing to get pay justice for all levels of teaching and finally address our working conditions, class sizes and end contract teaching.


Mary Merkenich AEU Councillor Teachers Alliance
View our web site at www.teachers-alliance.org