The Australian Education Union said the Allan Labor Government is seeking to bypass it and instead go straight to employees with the offer.
Describing it as ‘an anti-union move’, in a statement the AEU said “a Labor government should know better – it is union members who decide”.
The Government put a revised pay deal to the AEU late on Thursday in a bid to stop the strike action planned for July 23.
The Victorian education department’s secretary Tony Bates on Friday morning then emailed principals, assistant principals, teachers and education support staff directly with details of the deal, which prompted the union’s angry accusation of “anti-union” behaviour.
“It’s time to reach an agreement. The longer it takes to reach an outcome, the longer you will go without the pay increases you deserve,” Bates said in the email, according to the Herald Sun.
“Given the Fair Work Act process, any further delay means that it is unlikely we can secure additional salary this year.”
Education Minister Ben Carroll said the deal would see teacher, principal and education support staff salaries rise by at least 28.3 per cent over the next four years, starting with an increase of 12.75 per cent by October.
In real terms, that mean more than 90,000 teachers will receive $1000 more per month by October, and almost $3000 more per month by 2030.
He said the revised offer had been put to the union, and urged them to call off the strike.
“Labor is making our hardworking teachers, school leaders and education staff the best paid in the country,” he said. “They’ve earned it.”
Premier Jacinta Allan said the AEU’s claim that her government’s actions were “anti-union” was a “bit of an over reaction”.
“I think that by our actions we’ve demonstrated that that’s perhaps a bit of an over-reaction by the union because let’s also remember we reached an agreement with the leadership of the Australian Education Union,” she told the Herald Sun.
She said her Government had “demonstrated very clearly” that had and would continue to “act in good faith”.
In addition to the Government’s previous offer, the revised offer includes halving meetings for teachers, and a one per cent lump sum for classroom teachers at the top of the pay scale.
The AEU’s Joint Primary and Secondary Sector Council will hold an extra-ordinary meeting late this afternoon to consider the offer and the union’s next steps.
It comes after the teacher’s union in June knocked back the Labor Government’s offer of a 28 per cent pay rise over four years.
The AEU Victoria Branch’s more than 60,000 public school teachers, principals and support staff voted down a State Government offer on pay and conditions, with 57.7 per cent of voting members rejecting the offer.
A ban on working unpaid overtime is expected to take place next week on top of the stop-work action planned.
Current industrial action also includes bans on state Labor MPs visiting public schools, implementing new government programs, and limitations on attending meetings and on responding to Department of Education emails.
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.
They want a three year agreement including a 35 per cent pay rise, more money for education support staff, a cap on class sizes, more planning time, and less administration requirements and meetings.
(with AAP)
