Queensland C&K employees reject outdated conditions in decisive ballot

Creche and Kindergarten (C&K) employees across Queensland have delivered a decisive message to their employer, voting overwhelmingly to reject a proposed agreement they say fails to reflect fair and modern working conditions.

The Independent Education Union Queensland and Northern Territory (IEU-QNT) confirmed that teachers and assistants at more than 140 C&K kindergartens voted down their employer’s proposal in a ballot conducted late last week.

In a 2-to-1 outcome, 381 employees (64.57%) voted “Do Not Approve”, while 209 employees (35.42%) voted “Approve.” The participation rate was 69.08%, with 590 out of 854 eligible employees casting their vote.

Employee voice against outdated conditions

IEU-QNT Branch Secretary Terry Burke said the ballot outcome was a clear rejection of the conditions put forward.

“C&K had insisted that employees should have their say and took their outdated agreement to ballot,” Mr Burke said.

“They were told their position would be rejected by employees and it was. C&K employees have now made it very clear they strongly reject outdated working conditions.”

Mr Burke said the vote demonstrated staff opposition to a range of proposals that did not meet contemporary standards.

“C&K teachers and assistants have said no to outdated wages, no to outdated super, no to outdated parental and long service leave, and no to outdated time for kindy directors to do their job,” he said.

“They know they deserve better than being left behind the rest of the early childhood education sector, and they have voted accordingly.”

The broader industrial and regulatory context

Enterprise agreements in the early childhood sector are governed by the Fair Work Act 2009 (Cth), which sets out minimum requirements for collective bargaining. Any agreement must meet or exceed the National Employment Standards (NES) and pass the Better Off Overall Test (BOOT) before being approved by the Fair Work Commission.

The result of the C&K ballot highlights the growing willingness of early childhood professionals to reject agreements that do not align with sector expectations or broader reforms, including the Federal Government’s ongoing workforce strategy and recognition of the profession.

It also connects to obligations under the National Quality Framework (NQF), which requires approved providers to ensure their workforce is adequately supported to deliver safe, high-quality education and care. Workforce conditions, including staffing, leave, and professional time for centre leaders are integral to meeting Quality Area 4 (Staffing Arrangements) and Quality Area 7 (Governance and Leadership) of the National Quality Standard (NQS).

Next steps for negotiations

Mr Burke emphasised that with the majority of staff having voted, and the majority of those rejecting the agreement, the responsibility now rests with C&K to move negotiations forward.

“With a majority of staff having voted in the ballot, and the majority of them voting no, the onus is clearly now on C&K to return to the negotiating table with a proposal that values and respects staff and students,” he said.

The IEU-QNT has called on C&K to re-engage in good faith bargaining and present an offer that recognises the professional contribution of teachers and assistants, while supporting the delivery of high-quality early childhood education across Queensland.