Victorian public school teachers, principals, and other education staff will not show up for work on Tuesday over a pay dispute, while teachers in Tasmania will also strike after they rejected a 17% overall pay rise over three years. Public schools will also close in Tasmania over three days. In Victoria, teacher salaries currently range between $78,021 and $126,992, and principals can earn up to $236,313.
Education support staff would have received 13% over three years under the deal, but the union had been demanding a 35% pay increase over four years. About a third of the 30,000-strong unionised workforce are expected to march from Victorian Trades Hall to state parliament for a rally. Schools will remain open across the state, but many parents have been told classes won't run and to keep their children home if possible.
They (teachers) deserve to be paid more.
A school in Melbourne's outer east recommended parents make alternative arrangements, while only four of 34 classes were slated to run at a nearby primary school. The Department of Education did not provide details on how many schools would operate at reduced capacity, but confirmed it was working to limit disruption. The 24-hour teachers strike is Victoria's first in more than 13 years and comes eight months out from the state election.
Premier Jacinta Allan pleaded for the union to cancel the action and return to the negotiating table, but the union told AAP the strike would go ahead as planned and threatened to escalate further if necessary. Deputy Liberal leader David Southwick accused the state government of being more focused on the demands of the CFMEU than the teachers' union. 4 billion cut in funding.