Teachers across Victoria have walked off the job in the second strike action since June, after the teachers' union rejected the state government’s pay and conditions offer.
The rejected offer would have seen teacher, principal and education support staff salaries rise by more than 28% across the next four years, starting with an increase of 12.75% by October. Required meeting hours would also have been halved to 40 hours a year.
On Tuesday, the teachers' union voted 48.82% to 51.18% in favour of rejecting the offer. More than 50,677 members took part in the vote, representing 90.2% of AEU members eligible to vote.
In protest of the ongoing impasse, Australian Education Union Victoria Branch staff began a 24 hour stop work action at 10.30am this morning, gathering at Bourke Street Mall for a rally before marching to Victorian Parliament House.
'It is obvious there is a problem'
AEU Victoria Branch President, Justin Mullaly, said the decision to strike sends an “undeniable message” to the Premier and the Education Minister, that they must fully fund the state’s public schools.
“When just 3 in 10 public school teachers plan to stay working in public schools in Victoria, it is obvious there is a problem,” Mullaly said in a statement today. “Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff are demanding the Allan Labor Government acts in line with what they say Victoria is.”
Mullaly questioned the Victorian Government’s claims as “the education state”, saying this cannot be the case when the government has “deliberately ripped $2.4 billion out of our public schools.”
“AEU members are asking the Premier and Education Minister to explain; how can you call Victoria the education state when our public schools are the lowest funded in the country?” Mullaly said. “Why are teachers, school leaders and education support staff working an average 12 hours unpaid overtime every week if this is truly the education state?”
Speaking on the Today Show on Thursday, Federal Education Minister, Jason Clare, said he was hopeful that the union and the Victorian Government could reach an agreement.
“I hope they sort it out. I'm pretty optimistic that the Victorian Government and the teachers down there will work that out, and I hope they do that quickly because that's what parents want and want to hear.”
Education Minister Ben Carroll last week urged the AEU's leadership to call off the 24-hour statewide stop-work action, saying the Labor Government was making teachers, school leaders and education staff the best paid in the country.
Carroll said the strike is only hurting young people and their families.
"Students should be in classrooms and parents shouldn’t be left scrambling for childcare or losing a day’s pay."
'Families need to know why we’re taking this action'
The Australian Education Union Victorian Branch will deliver a message directly to families of Victorian public school students through an open letter to be published in The Age and the Herald Sun newspapers tomorrow.
The open letter highlights the impacts of more than a decade of underfunding of Victoria’s public schools on students, teachers, principals and education support staff.
“We know that stop work action is disruptive for parents and students, and we don’t do this lightly. Families need to know why we’re taking this action,” Mullaly said. “For too long, the state government has relied on the goodwill and unpaid work of public school staff to ensure students get access to a high quality education."
Mullaly said the partnership between AEU members, students and their families relies on every student having access to the resources and the support they need to reach their full potential.
“Families take that responsibility seriously. AEU members take that responsibility seriously and they both need to be supported by a state government that matches that commitment," he said.
“The Premier and the Education Minister must fix their public school funding mess and put a pay and conditions offer on the table that properly respects and values the work of principals, teachers and education support staff."