Victorian Teachers to Strike Again as Pay and Conditions Talks Stall

Victorian public school teachers are set to resume strike action next Thursday, July 23, following a breakdown in negotiations with the state government over pay and working conditions. This marks another escalation in the ongoing industrial dispute, with the Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian Branch confirming the statewide 24-hour strike.

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In this underfunded system, teachers, principals, and education support staff are working an average of 12 hours unpaid overtime every week.

The AEU has highlighted excessive workloads and what it describes as systemic underfunding of public schools as primary drivers for the industrial action. AEU Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly stated that teachers, principals, and support staff are collectively working an average of 12 hours of unpaid overtime each week. He criticized the government's reliance on the "goodwill" of employees to compensate for inadequate funding, noting that only three in ten staff expect to remain in public schools until retirement due to these pressures.

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The government must stop relying on the goodwill of school employees as a core part of their funding model for schools.

Mullaly asserted that Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in the country, with the Allan Labor government allegedly withholding $2.4 billion in necessary funding. This comes after teachers in June voted down a proposed pay rise of up to 32 percent over four years, despite AEU leadership's endorsement of the in-principle agreement. The government spokesman urged the AEU to cease the planned strike and return to negotiations, emphasizing that the rejected deal would have made Victorian teachers the highest paid in Australia with the best conditions.

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This deal, which was endorsed by the AEU leadership, would have made Victorian teachers the best paid in the country together with the best conditions.