| SSTUWA Executive: Patricia Burke |
 I have been a Union member since I commenced teaching over 20 years ago and a member of the SSTUWA Executive for about 10 years. I have always been highly involved in Union activities, and commenced representing TAFE teachers as a member of TAFE Committee in the early 1990s. As a member of TAFE Committee, I represented TAFE women at the National level and was subsequently elected as the chair of TAFE Committee and the WA delegate to the National TAFE Council Executive. My commitment and experience in these roles led to me being asked to join the SSTUWA Executive. I have been an active Executive member throughout this time.During my time on Executive, I have worked closely with other Executive members in representing both teachers and TAFE lecturers and as a member of a number of Union and Executive committees, including the Women’s Committee, Appointments Committee and as a delegate to Unions WA. As chair of TAFE Committee, I took delegations of TAFE members to Canberra to lobby Federal MPs. I further developed my activist skills in consultation, negotiation and conciliation during this time, to a point at which 6 years ago I was elected as the Vice President of the SSTUWA. In 2007 I was elected as the Senior Vice President of the SSTUWA and Branch Deputy President of the AEUWA on the Members First team. I have been a negotiator on the last 4 negotiation teams for TAFE Agreements (TAs) and have lead negotiations for the last three TAs. In the 2000 Agreement I stood out against the other negotiators for paid maternity leave. I was successful and paved the way for maternity leave for other public servants and teachers in WA. Under my leadership for the 2003 & 2005 Agreements, the negotiation teams included up to 6 practicing teachers to ensure that the employer negotiators heard directly from TAFE teachers about why issues addressed in our logs of claim were important to them and how workload and salaries impacted on their lives. This strategy was so successful that TAFE lecturers received a 2 hour reduction in face to face teaching per week and a 2 hour increase in DOTT (known as ARD in TAFE) per week with 93% of lecturers voting in favour of both Agreements. I continued with this strategy for the 2008 TA which resulted in pay increases of between 18.5% - 20.5% plus an extra 5% on top of this for members wishing to take up the Flexible Hours Arrangement. 97% of TAFE members voted in favour of this TA. As the Senior Vice President of the SSTUWA, my strategies were incorporated into the strategies used by the current Senior Officers and the Executive for the 2008 Teachers’ Agreement, the end result of which was an Agreement that included no trade offs and an increase in salary unrivalled in the past. I am totally committed to leading members by listening to what they say and to representing their concerns honestly and fairly. My previous Union history has shown that both teachers and TAFE lecturers have recognised that my leadership style of consultation and collaboration with members is respected and valued and that I am willing to be guided by their experiences and knowledge to ensure that I can reflect their arguments when dealing with issues, solving problems or negotiating on their behalf. I look forward to working in partnership with all teachers, your Union organisers and with the Members First team to improve working conditions and salaries for all members if you again vote for me as an Executive Member of your Union. |