Executive Director’s Update to Principals #27 - 8 June 2023
EBA Update: Important Information about the Access and Voting Period
As we move into the official ‘Access Period’ for the proposed Catholic Multi-Enterprise Agreement 2022 (CEMEA 2022), CECV will send a direct email to employees covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022 (via their school email address) about this important step and including links to key documents today and tomorrow. The key documents, known as the Employee Information, is available via the CECV website
Additionally, Principal support is required to ensure our mutual obligations under the Fair Work Act are met.
Therefore, Principals must:
- distribute the Voting Notice to employees to be covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022 by close of business on Friday, 9 June 2023
- distribute the Employee Information to casual employees employed at the time of the vote and anyone who may not reasonably have access to a school email address at that time, including those on leave by Friday, 9 June 2023 (using the email body text from CECV)
- place copies of the Voting Notice and Employee Information in your staff room or appropriate common area on Friday, 9 June 2023
- explain the proposed CEMEA 2022 to employees in a staff meeting as detailed in the Guidelines – Employee Ballot by 19 June 2023. DOBCEL has created a range of presentations to assist with this step, with either speaker notes or a voice-over recording by Maree Baker.
- strictly adhere to the timelines and requirements in the Guidelines – Employee Ballot provided by CECV, a summary of critical dates and actions below.
A copy of all CECV and DOBCEL-provided documents, circulars, presentations and recorded briefings regarding the access and voting process can be found via the Diocesan Principal Google Folder/EBA/2023.
Critical Dates and Actions
When | What |
By close of business on Friday 9 June 2023 | · Copy and distribute the Employee Information to any casual relieving and casual employees employed at the time of the vote and any employees who may not reasonably have access to a school email address (e.g. school services officers such as cleaners or canteen staff). · Take all reasonable steps to separately contact employees to be covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022 who are on leave, or who may not otherwise have reliable or regular access to their school email, to inform them that the Employee Information is available and how it may be accessed. This may include sending these employees a further email to their personal email address with the Employee Information or a text message of where to access the Employee Information or express posting a copy to them. · Print a reasonable number of copies of the Employee Information and place them in the staff room. · Where applicable, take appropriate steps if necessary to explain the Employee Information to any employees with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, who have disabilities or who are young (and keep a record of the steps taken). |
By close of business on Friday 9 June 2023 | · Provide the Voting Notice to all employees to be covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022. · Place a copy of the Voting Notice in a prominent place, e.g., the staffroom. · For employees who are on leave or who may not otherwise have reliable or regular access to their school email, express post a copy of the Voting Notice or send a copy of the Voting Notice to the employee’s personal email address. |
By 4.00 pm on Tuesday, 13 June 2023 | · To ensure you meet the requirements of the access period, please confirm your vote management process via the DOBCEL School CEMEA Vote Management Form by 4.00 pm Tuesday, 13 June 2023. (This step is for DOBCEL schools only) |
Tuesday 13 June 2023 to Monday 19 June 2023 | · Schedule a staff meeting to explain the proposed CEMEA 2022. · Notify staff to be covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022 of the staff meeting by email and by placing a notice in the staffroom. The local school union representative should be invited to attend this meeting, along with all other employees covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022. · At the meeting, explain to staff the proposed CEMEA 2022 and answer any questions (using the Employee Information and PowerPoint Presentation). Seek advice from the People and Development Team (contacts listed below), as required. |
Tuesday 20 June 2023 and Wednesday 21 June 2023 | · Note the eligible voting period is between Tuesday 20 June 2023 and Wednesday 21 June 2023 only. · Hold the employee ballot as outlined in the Guidelines – Employee Ballot, on these days only. · Provide each employee voting in-person at the school with a paper ballot at the time they are to vote. You should mark off or record their name indicating they have voted. · Do not provide ballot papers to any employees before the start of the voting period. · At the start of the voting period, provide the following employees with ballot papers by email: − employees who are on leave or not working on the days of the voting period and who have made a request to vote by email. − employees who are on a camp, an overnight excursion, or an extended term break. |
As soon as possible when voting closes, and before 1.00 pm on Thursday 22 June 2023 | · As soon as possible after the voting period concludes, the principal (or their delegate) and the union representative (or an employee to be covered by the proposed CEMEA 2022 where the school does not have a union representative) must count all the votes submitted. |
By 1.00 pm on | · Complete the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement Vote Google Form to notify the CECV, your employer and the IEU of the result of the vote. · The Enterprise Bargaining Agreement Vote Google Form can be accessed via the CEVN website at (available from 8.30 am Tuesday 20 June 2023 until 1.00 pm Thursday 22 June 2023). |
For more information contact:
DOBCEL People and Development Team
- Maree Baker (HR Manager) mbaker@dobcel.catholic.edu.au M| 0436 460 275
- Ange Jones (Assist Director People & Development) ajones@dobcel.catholic.edu.au M| 0400 831 040
- Jo Huntley (HR Advisor) jhuntley@dobcel.catholic.edu.au M| 0429 598 163
Stewardship Update
Policy Update
The following policies, procedures and associated documents have been finalised and ratified:
- Responsible Persons Policy & Procedure (updated)
- School Advisory Council Terms of Reference (updated)
- School Volunteers Policy & Procedure [School Template] (new)
- Volunteer Responsibility Agreement Form [School Template] (new)
- School Visitor Policy & Procedure [School Template] (new)
This is provided for your information only. Separate communication will be forwarded to your CARSO to assist with implementation outlined below.
Below is a brief summary identifying the main requirements for each of these policies and procedures.
Responsible Persons Policy & Procedure
- Principal / deputy principal to familiarise themselves with the documents and associated requirements, including the sections on Continual Disclosure and Notifiable Disclosure Event
- Ensure appropriate induction is conducted for relevant staff
- Ensure that any professional learning required for relevant staff is completed
School Advisory Council Terms of Reference
- Provide all current members of the School Advisory Council with a copy of the updated Terms of Reference
- Ensure the document is available on the school’s website
School Volunteers Policy & Procedure
- Contextualise document for the school
- Ensure the document is available on the school’s website
- Ensure suitability checks in place for all prospective volunteers
- Ensure processes are in place to record WWCC for all volunteers
- Ensure that appropriate training is available for all volunteers
- Ensure all relevant policies and procedures have been provided to volunteers
- Processes in place to manage and maintain volunteer management records
Volunteer Responsibility Agreement Form
- Contextualise document for the school
- Processes are in place to ensure the completion of the form by volunteers
School Visitor Policy & Procedure
- Contextualise document for the school, this includes the school’s process for visitor sign-in
- Ensure the document is available on the school’s website
- Ensure all policies and procedures listed within the School Visitor Policy & Procedure are publicly available
- Ensure that a process is in place for the confirmation of WWCC for visitors
These documents will be available through eSORT from Friday 9 June 2023, and will be distributed with instructions for their implementation as required.
Any enquiries regarding these documents should be directed to Governance@dobcel.catholic.edu.au.
Insurance
Following the recent announcement regarding CCI Insurance, many of you may be receiving cold calls from insurance brokers seeking the school’s business.
DOBCEL is working with the Diocese of Ballarat and other church entities to seek a solution on behalf of all schools.
Therefore, please do not feel obliged to take or return these calls and instead offer the comment that your governing authority, DOBCEL, is seeking a solution on your behalf.
As previously advised, most of our policies remain in place until 31 March 2024.
Please do not hesitate to contact Paul Jans at pjans@dobcel.catholic.edu.au should you require further information.