Do you know what you should be paid? Are you being paid the correct rate? Are you paid for all the hours you work? Are you paid adequately for the responsibilities of your position and duties undertaken?

The Department says...

Rates of pay for canteen workers in Victorian government schools are determined by several documents:

• The Education Industry Sector Order, last updated in 2005, which sets out minimum rates of pay for workers in the education sector in Victoria.
• The School Services Officers (State Government Schools) Victoria Award, AW799002
• The Victorian Government Schools - School Services Officer Agreement (last updated in 2004 - expires in 2007) - ('the Agreement')

Within this structure, canteen workers can be paid under one of two classifications:

1) School Services Officer

or

2) Other Non-Teaching Staff - Canteen Attendant

The Department of Education, Victoria, advises that canteen workers paid in the School Services Officer classification are normally paid at Level 1. However, schools have the choice to pay their canteen staff at an above award rate, or at a higher level.

'Roles and Responsibilities' and 'Dimensions of Work' for School Services Officers (including canteen workers paid under this classification) are set out in the Award and are available on the internet (to find them, you can click the links in this sentence, or see the list of links below).

The classification of 'Canteen Attendant' provides for only one rate of pay - there are no provisions for differing levels of responsibility such as supervisory and financial duties. The 'Canteen Attendant' position is paid at the same rate as an Out of School Care Program Assistant or a school gardener (non-trade position), and considerably lower than an Out of School Care Program Coordinator. This rate is considerably lower than the lowest School Service Officer level. The Department contact person indicated to VSCA that there has been a union push for some time to increase this rate of pay to be on a par with the lowest rate for School Services Officers. However, this has not happened yet.

There are no Roles and Responsibilities or Dimensions of Work set out for the position of Canteen Attendant. The Department contact person, Andrew Bull, stated that the conditions of employment (including the Roles and Responsibilities and Dimensions of Work) described for School Service Officers apply to everyone paid under the Agreement - including Canteen Attendants. He indicated that "as the rate of pay is lower, you might expect a bit less from someone employed in that position".

What's new?

The Victorian Government Schools - School Services Officer Agreement will be renegotiated at the end of 2007. The Department contact person, Andrew Bull, says that there is unlikely to be any significant change. A small pay rise of around 3%, in line with inflation, is expected. (Current rates of pay for School Services Officers at any point in time can be found by clicking this link: http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/hr/empconditions/SSO_Salary_Rates2.pdf )

The pay and conditions of school canteen workers in Victorian Government Schools has not been affected by the Federal Government's Work Choices legislation, as it is the Victorian Government's policy that individual Australian Workplace Agreements will not be negotiated with public sector employees in Victoria.

VSCA says...

VSCA recommends that schools seriously consider their option of paying canteen workers (particularly Canteen Managers) as School Service Officers at a higher level than Level 1, as this may well be more appropriate.

The document 'School Service Officers - Indicative Roles and Responsibilities Operating Across Classification Levels' offers the following general description of School Service Officer - Level 1:

'Provide routine support tasks across a range of functions within a school. Supports students, teachers, school administration and operations and education programs involving tasks that are well defined, are undertaken within established rules and supervision and guidance is close at hand.'

The 'Dimensions of Work' for School Services Officer - Level 1, Range 1 are described in this way:

'Work is performed under close direction using established routines, methods and procedures from which there is little scope for deviation.' ... and ... 'Problems can usually be solved by reference to well-documented procedures and instructions and clearly established practices. Assistance is readily available when problems arise.'

Further, 'No supervisory responsibilities are attached to this position.'

Does this sound like your job?

The 'Dimensions of Work' for School Services Officer - Level 1, Range 2 permit that 'This position may provide specific functions which will require specialist knowledge and skills.'

However, it goes on to state that 'Capacity to exercise judgement and problem solving skills would be limited to defined procedures and guidelines and assistance and direction is, generally, close at hand.'

Sound any more like you? No?

In VSCA’s experience based on assisting canteen managers in schools around Victoria over the past 20 years, compared to the actual requirements of the position in most cases, this Level 1 designation does not seem adequate or fair. It may even be considered to be exploitative. While some may consider it appropriate to pay canteen workers at this level, VSCA feels that the responsibilities of a canteen manager - supervising staff and/or volunteers, controlling stock, managing inventory, bookkeeping and other financial responsibilities, development of procedures, implementation and oversight of a Food Safety Plan, menu planning, food preparation, serving and supervising students, etc - would not appear to fit this description.

For the same reasons, VSCA recommends that the classification of 'Canteen Attendant' is probably not appropriate for most paid canteen workers, especially Canteen Managers. According to the Department, one would expect "a bit less" from Canteen Attendants than from employees paid at School Services Officer - Level 1. However, there is no explanation of what "a bit less" would mean in practice.

In VSCA's experience, most paid employees in school canteens do "a bit more" than their official classification would require - not "a bit less". Certainly, as explained above, most Canteen Managers do "a bit more" than what is suggested by the description of School Services Officer - Level 1. Paying less than School Services Officer - Level 1 would, in most cases, not seem fair.

Canteens of the 21st century?

It would appear from its name and its grouping with other "assistant" type positions that the 'Canteen Attendant' classification may be based on the model of an industrial style canteen, where the 'Attendant' stands at a cash register selling prepackaged foods and at the most, perhaps restocking shelves or heating items in a pie warmer.

This concept no longer applies to school canteens - if it ever did. Modern school canteens are expected to be sophisticated food services serving a number of purposes to the school. These may include offering a broad range of nutritious and appetising foods, supporting the curriculum, offering direct learning experiences for students, catering for functions and special days, implementing food safety requirements, enacting government policy, as well as operating as a self-sufficient small business and making a profit.

Particularly in an environment where Victorian Government policy now requires school canteens to offer healthier foods - and therefore encourages the sale of less processed foods in favour of more fresh foods which must be prepared on site - the classification of school canteen staff as 'Canteen Attendant' seems more than ever inappropriate.

Find out more

Information about rates of pay, career structures and other employment conditions for workers in Victorian government schools is available on the Department of Education, Victoria's website. The Department's home page is at www.education.vic.gov.au, while information about employment and rates of pay are located on the Department's 'HR Web' website at www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/hrweb/

Information about the employment of School Services Officers, including rates of pay, Dimensions of Work and Roles and Resonsibilities, can found y using the A-Z index on the HR Web. Alternatively, you can access it directly by clicking this link: http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/hrweb/careers/sso/ssostruct.htm

Current salary rates for School Service Officers can be found on the Education Department's HR Website at this link: http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/hr/empconditions/SSO_Salary_Rates2.pdf

Current salary rates for 'School Council Employees other than School Service Officers' (including Canteen Attendants) can be found on the Education Department's HR Website at this link: http://www.eduweb.vic.gov.au/edulibrary/public/hr/empconditions/Salary_rates_for_non-SSO_school_council_employees.pdf

Alternatively, you can directly contact the Department of Education, Victoria contact persons:

• Ian Hollingworth, Manager, Employee Relations, Non Teaching Staff - phone 03 9637 2449
• Andrew Bull, Senior Project Officer, Policy & Employer Relations - phone 03 9637 2397

or contact the Department toll free on 1800 641 943 and request to speak to the contact person you require.

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