Parts of Melbourne CBD were brought to a standstill as teachers marched en masse through the streets this morning.
Demanding the Allan Labor Government agree to a 35 per cent pay rise over four years, and better conditions (namely reduced class sizes and bolstered mental health and classroom support), around 10,000 AEU members dressed in red converged for the spirited stop work action, in what some on the ground deemed a ‘monumental’ display of union power.
AEU officials roused the crowd via megaphones from the fringes, with chants such as ‘undervalued, underpaid, give us a fair wage’, and ‘I say union, you say power – union, power! Union, power!’ rising in pockets from the moving mass.
Reporting from the scene, EducationHQ probed protestors to find out exactly what was fuelling their participation in the historic action.
One experienced teacher of over 45 years said she was showing up in support of dedicated young teachers who are being forced to quit the profession after just a few years in the system.
“I can see them getting disenchanted – and they’re good teachers. They work too hard, they get little recognition and they’re aways under the pump.
“Victorian teachers need to be fairly renumerated for the work we do.
“We deserve to have proper time to deal with the issues we have to deal with – that is dealing with kids who have mental health needs and social needs beyond our professional capability to handle. We’re still doing this on a daily basis,” the teacher, who joined the union last week, told EducationHQ.
The double whammy of poor renumeration and a lack of recognition on the government’s behalf for the escalating demands placed on teachers, and especially the increased admin load in schools, has quite literally created the perfect storm, the teacher argued.
And those new to the job are leaving in droves, she warned, saying the trajectory was devastating to witness play out over and over again with beginner teachers.
“They are very professional in their attitude, they are well trained, they care about their students, they are so keen and they want to do a good job.
“But by their late 20s they burn out, they become far more cynical and disillusioned – and they are wanting to leave.
“I’m marching for all our young teachers because they deserve so much more than they get at the moment.”
The union rejected a last-minute plea from Premier Jacinta Allan yesterday to abandon the planned strike today, arguing members are completely justified in taking action after the government put forward a “totally unacceptable” offer last week – the first in nine months of pay negotiations.
One teacher at the strike said she’d received a ‘propaganda email’ from a government official yesterday, which highlighted its ‘good faith’ in negotiations and outlined the offer currently on the table.
The Government’s offer is for 17 per cent pay increase over three years, with a 1.5 per cent overtime allowance, an additional student-free day and a trial of flexible work arrangements.
Education Minister Ben Carroll has called it a “very significant and compelling offer”.
“...and if you look at all of our public sector EBAs, to have a first offer of this magnitude says how much we value our teachers," he said.
One teacher marching this morning said she was on the cusp of burnout despite it still being Term 1.
“I’ve been a teacher for 24 years and I only just joined the union this year.
“To be very honest up until this point [I haven't felt compelled to speak out], but now I’ve had enough. We are the lowest funded and lowest paid teachers across all the states of Australia,” she said.
“We worked so hard during COVID lockdowns, we had to take on all the online learning … and our workload has increased and increased, and now to be told we’re paid less than teachers in others states – it’s not fair.”
The teacher admitted she had considered getting a job in the private school system due to the prospect of improved pay and conditions, even though the ethos of public education aligned with her own values.
“I really do hope that somebody in the government realises that we need pay equity, and equal pay across Australia is what should be mandated.”
As a Year 12 English teacher, the educator said having to mark students’ work that had clearly been produced by AI was exhausting and had become a ‘huge battle’.
She said for a class of 25 students, marking just one essay-based assignment sucked up eight hours of her own time outside paid hours.
“Also, people don’t realise having a strike means that teachers don’t get paid for this day … it’s not that we’re having a day off. We’re sacrificing our pay to show this level of outrage…”
"The ball is in the government's court. They know how the profession feels, they know the profession's expectations, they do need to put a real deal on the table that meets our needs, that respects us," AEU Victorian Branch president Justin Mullaly said.
On the sidelines, Independent Education Union (IEU) members have voiced strong support for their public school colleagues.
The union’s application for a Single Interest Authorisation remains in the hands of the courts – meaning members are prohibited from taking industrial action at risk of individual fines of up to $19,800 until the dispute is resolved.
There is, however, huge support for the AEU’s actions across the sector, and anger that members cannot take part given the salaries and conditions being fought for in both campaigns are similar.
IEU members in Catholic schools across the state are taking part in ‘solidarity activities’ today.
Some are rallying in front of their schools before or after school, with many running ‘wear it black’ days.
Members at St Joseph’s in Geelong chipped in for a ‘coffee fund’ at a few local cafes, ensuring AEU members could get free coffees on their way into the rally.
“Salaries in Victorian education have fallen significantly below those in other states, and we fully back the AEU campaign for fair pay and urgent improvements to workload and staff wellbeing,” IEU Victoria general secretary David Brear said.
Brear said the IEU is presently negotiating a new deal for staff in Catholic schools, but claims that employers, unlike those in every other state and territory, are doing everything they can to deny workers a voice.
“We are pursuing a major case in the Fair Work Commission to win these basic rights, and our members across the state are furious that their employers are still fighting this and still trying to silence them,” Brear said.
“Nobody takes strike action lightly, but the bargaining deadlock has left AEU members with little choice.
“Our members stand in solidarity with this strike, and we again call on our own employers to lift the completely unjustifiable restrictions on industrial action in our sector.”
