The Union of Professional Educators (UPE) possesses the majority of Learning Support Educators (LSEs) employed in state schools, as officially affirmed during a court hearing by the Department of Industrial & Employment Relations (DIER).

The Ministry for Education has challenged the entitlement of LSEs to have their own agreement. In response, the UPE was forced to take the Ministry of Education to the Industrial Tribunal to resolve this matter. Throughout the past four decades, it has been evident that separate bargaining units were established to accommodate the diverse desires of workers in various fields.

This afternoon, the Industrial Tribunal which is composed of government appointed officials, deviated from the norm and failed to honour the wishes of the majority of LSEs. However, it is an undeniable fact that the UPE will persevere using ANY necessary legal means to uphold the interests of its members, by being the only union to negotiate this collective agreement. As the UPE is the sole union capable of ensuring improved salaries and working conditions for LSEs overall, and since its has majority in this sector.

Further details will be announced later on this week.