In short:
Thousands of Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff are striking today after rejecting the Allan Labor Government’s latest pay and conditions offer. The Australian Education Union says chronic underfunding, staff shortages and unpaid overtime have pushed schools to breaking point, with thousands marching on Parliament as negotiations remain deadlocked.
Education Staff March to Parliament
Thousands of Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff are taking to the streets of Melbourne today, delivering a major blow to the Allan Labor Government as a statewide 24-hour strike gets underway.
The industrial action comes after Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian Branch members rejected the Allan Labor Government’s latest pay and conditions offer in an online ballot.
The vote was narrowly defeated, with 51.18 per cent of members voting against the proposal and 48.82 per cent voting in favour. More than 50,677 members took part, representing 90.2 per cent of eligible voters.
The union has previously rejected the State Government’s proposed 28 per cent pay increase over four years, arguing it falls short of its claim for a 35 per cent increase.
The strike is currently underway, with thousands of teachers and education support staff marching from Bourke Street Mall to Parliament, accusing the Allan Labor Government of failing to properly fund Victoria’s public schools and relying on unpaid work to keep the system running.
“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,” AEU Victorian Branch president Justin Mullaly said.
“We Don’t Do This Lightly”
Mr Mullaly said Victoria now has the lowest-funded public schools in Australia and accused the government of failing to honour its commitment to fully fund the education system.
“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.”
“But, instead of getting our schools on a pathway to full funding like they promised, the Premier and her cabinet have deliberately cut $2.4 billion from public schools.”
He said the funding shortfall has left teachers, principals and education support staff overworked and undervalued, claiming staff work an average of 12 hours of unpaid overtime each week to fill the gap.
Mr Mullaly also warned Victoria’s teacher shortage is worsening, saying only three in 10 public school staff plan to remain in the system until retirement.
“This underfunding is making the work of public school staff untenable.”
“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,” he said.
Not Just About Money
The strike marks a significant escalation in the dispute and places renewed pressure on the Allan Labor Government to reach a new enterprise agreement with Victoria’s public school workforce.
Point Cook educator Jeremy Newton-John— who has holds a doctorate in education, has been teaching for more than 20 years and is an AEU member— said those who think the action is merely about money do not grasp the entire situaton.
“This is not just about pay, it is about addressing systemic problems such as overwork and student behaviour which are causing teachers to leave the profession in droves,” Dr Newton-John said.
“So, standard tasks in a teacher’s workload are writing lessons, designing and marking assessment, writing reports, doing playground duty, parent phone calls, various OH&S compliance tasks, and regular meetings.
“That’s all before you deal with students with special needs or get into a classroom. Accommodate a change of curriculum and add in the odd excursion and… well, you get the idea.”
