The Victorian government has reached a pay deal with public school teachers, cancelling planned strike action and delivering minimum pay rises of 28% over four years, the Financial Review reported.
The agreement, backed by 79% of Australian Education Union members, also includes a $2,000 bonus and is expected to cost taxpayers $5.4 billion.
The deal removes a major industrial relations challenge for Premier Ben Carroll just three months before the state election.
Strike action cancelled
AEU members had planned a 24-hour strike on Wednesday after already taking industrial action twice this year.
The agreement will now proceed to a vote of all employees under the Fair Work Act. If approved, educators will receive a $2,000 bonus when the agreement begins, along with annual 1 to 2% lump sum payments for teachers at the top of their salary band.
Premier Ben Carroll said, “This is an investment in our future; it is provisioned for [in the budget], it’s funded, and it doesn’t just provide the best pay; it enshrines the best conditions, best student-to-teacher ratios, the best face-to-face teaching hours for our teachers.”
Teacher salaries to rise
The deal will lift graduate teacher salaries to $97,000 from November next year, up from $80,000 currently.
Experienced teachers will receive an immediate $15,000 increase to $133,000, with salaries rising to $151,000 by 2029.
The agreement will also halve annual meeting requirements from 80 hours to 40 hours. Existing maximum face-to-face teaching hours will be secured at 18.5 hours for secondary teachers and 21 hours for primary teachers.
The union had initially sought a 35% pay increase over three years.
AEU Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly said, “This outcome has been won through the direct efforts of AEU members, who demanded pay and conditions that reflect the value and importance of their work in Victorian public schools.”
Government avoids strike disruption
Education Minister Gabrielle Williams said, “The union has indicated that they will not be progressing with the strike action that was planned for Wednesday. We know that will be a huge relief to families who can now plan their week and know that their kids will be in the classrooms.”
“We also know it’s a huge relief for our teachers and education support staff who want to be in classrooms too, doing what they love, which is teaching young people,” she added.
The agreement ends negotiations that began in July last year, when Carroll was education minister and deputy premier.
Carroll faces funding and budget pressures
Opposition Leader Jess Wilson criticised Carroll’s record on education and the handling of the pay negotiations.
“What we’ve seen is Ben Carroll too incompetent to land a teacher pay deal, and now he’s had to send in his deputy to get the job done,” Wilson said.
“Three months to an election, Ben Carroll, who was too weak to stand up to Jacinta Allan to ensure that our schools got their fair funding, is saying he might fully fund schools. Well, Victorians deserve better.”
The government is also working towards an agreement with the federal government to fully fund public schools. Carroll has pledged to finalise the deal before the November 28 election, with the commitment expected to cost Victoria $2.5 billion over three years.
At the same time, the government faces growing pressure to control state finances. Net debt is projected to reach $200 billion by mid-2030, while cumulative cash deficits are forecast to total $30 billion over the forward estimates.