If accepted, the Government’s latest offer will see teachers receive a pay increase between 28.3 per cent and 32.4 per cent over four years, depending on their role and level of experience.
An experienced teacher can expect to go from a salary of $118,063 to $151,419 by 2029, taking them ahead of their NSW counterparts who are currently the highest paid in the country.
An early career teacher will get a pay boost of $12,343 by October of this year, with further increases in subsequent years.
Education support staff in schools, which includes classroom support, admin staff and those supporting students with disability, are set to receive a minimum pay increase of 29.8 per cent over the four-year agreement.
The proposal also includes four professional practice days for teachers and support staff so that critical planning and preparation can be undertaken to better support student learning and wellbeing.
AEU Victorian Branch President Justin Mullaly has deemed the in-principle agreement a win for all public educators across the state.
“These are really significant improvements in the pay and conditions of public school and Kindergarten staff, won through the campaigning of AEU members…” Mullaly said.
“This is a win for teachers, educators, principals and education support staff, but it’s also a win for all Victorians.
“Nationally competitive pay and measures to tackle overwork and burnout will help keep experienced educators in the sector and attract the next generation.”
But one Melbourne teacher and union member said they hoped the proposal would be voted against.
“The pay increase is the golden nugget of the deal, I don’t think it actually addresses why there has been strike action though, which is the nature and volume of the workload and admin that is required.
“It doesn’t go far enough towards addressing the actual problems with our job,” the secondary teacher said.
The teacher reported she was putting in around 10 hours of unpaid work every week and yet still felt like she was falling behind.
“That’s SAC marking, lesson planning, emails, all the rest of it. We need more in-school time to get these tasks done so we might actually be able to have a life outside of teaching…”
For this reason, union members would likely vote no to the agreement, she added.
Posting on the Australian teachers Reddit page, one educator urged their peers to hold out for a better deal.
“I know everyone’s exhausted and just wants it done, but I really don’t think this deal goes far enough.
“Workload is still out of control, behaviour support is lacking, and Victorian teachers are still falling behind other states.
“A yes vote just tells the Government we’ll accept the bare minimum again. A no vote at least gives us a chance to push for something better.
“We deserve conditions that actually make this job sustainable,” they argued.
The in-principle agreement comes after a state-wide teacher strike in March. PHOTO: Sarah Duggan
The union has previously noted that a recent survey showed public school staff are clocking up more than 12 hours’ unpaid overtime per week on average, while more than 80 per say their workloads have increased due to inadequate support.
Just 30 per cent plan to stay working in the public system long-term, the union warned.
Premier Jacinta Allan has claimed the agreement would make Victoria’s teachers “the best paid in the country”, while Education Minister Ben Carroll has said the $4.6 billion dollar deal is an offer all can be proud of.
“We’ve got the best paid teachers and best paid principals,” he told reporters on Friday.
“This education agreement is one of the quickest that has been done, and that has been a cooperative effort with the union ... they started at 35 per cent, we started at 18.5 per cent.”
The State Government has been locked in ongoing negotiations with the union for almost a year.
In March, Victorian public school educators defiantly executed the first statewide teachers’ strike in 13 years, with tens of thousands bringing parts of Melbourne CBD to a standstill as they marched through the streets.
Rolling stop work action kicked into gear at the start of Term 2, with union members holding out for a 35 per cent increase over four years, bolstered classroom support, smaller class sizes and more flexible working arrangements, including the possibility of a four-day work week.
One teacher said the agreement just struck does not amount to a good deal for teachers over the lifetime of the agreement.
“Other states will jump ahead, so we’ll be locked into being the worst paid again after a couple of years. So, this gets us up to speed now but not in the long run.”
Another experienced teacher, who has been in the profession for more than 40 years, said they hoped the current agreement would be accepted.
The stop work action had been too disruptive for schools and students, the teacher said, and the quicker things were settled the better.
On Reddit, another said they didn’t understand the logic of those people voting yes.
“…We’ve held out this long. Keep going a few more months to get what we want. Jacinta Allan does not want to go to the state election with this still hanging over her head.
“We’ve done one measly strike. Time to take more action and get the results that are deserved. Yes, this offer is better than the first, but if we hang on a little longer we can get even better. We have nothing to lose by holding out. They aren’t going to offer a worse deal,” the teacher posted.
The agreement will now go to wider AEU membership for consideration.
