Source : Perth Now news
School disruptions are on the books as teachers and other educators pencil in more strike action over a pay stand-off.
Public school teachers, principals and support staff will stop work for half a day in term two if the Victorian government doesn’t present a suitable pay and conditions offer, the state education union said.
“It’s in response to the fact that there is no deal on the table,” Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly told reporters on Friday.
The union is planning for stoppages encompassing tens of thousands of staff over multiple weeks, beginning in the third week of term two, at multiple schools on a region-by-region basis.
Striking staff will converge at local Labor MP offices before returning to classrooms in the afternoon.
“There will be, in any given week, on any given day of that week, multiple stoppages across the state,” Mr Mullaly said.
The teachers’ union and state Labor government have been at loggerheads on a pay deal after an offer of a 18.5 per cent increase over four years was rejected.
The union wants a 35 per cent pay rise over three years, along with measures to address excessive workloads and ongoing staffing shortages.
Entry-level teachers in Victoria are paid $16,500 less a year than those in the Northern Territory, who are the best-paid in the country.
Under the endorsed plan for further strike action, unionised educators will also stop attending school meetings, writing comments in student reports, implementing new education department programs or initiatives, and responding to department emails.
Both sides are holding meetings almost daily, with the latest occurring on Friday morning before the latest strike announcement.
Premier Jacinta Allan urged the union to stay at the negotiation table to reach an outcome.
“There is a significant pay offer on the table there right now,” she said.
Unionised public school educators walked off the job across Victoria in March for the first time in more than 13 years during a 24-hour strike, with more than 35,000 people marching to the front steps of state parliament.
All 1600 Victorian public schools remained open but about 500 were significantly disrupted.
As Victorian schools prepare for more disruption, Tasmanian teachers on Friday will begin voting for two weeks on a new offer from the state Liberal government after they also went on strike for better pay and conditions across three days in March.
The revised offer includes a 8.75 per cent wage rise over three years, with the government pledging to boost the salaries of certain employee levels.
Separately, Tasmania’s teaching support staff, including teacher assistants, library and technicians and social workers, have reached an agreement with the state government.
