Updated 3:40pm, Friday March 20: Tasmanian public school teachers and support staff will walk off the job for 24 hours across four locations next week after the Australian Education Union (AEU) rejected the state government’s latest pay deal.
The AEU’s elected branch executive met on Friday and voted to knock back the offer, describing it as inadequate on workload and pay while including “outrageous proposals for cuts”.
It came just hours after Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced what he called a strengthened second offer, including pay rises of 3%, 3% and 2.75% over three years.
The package also includes additional staffing to address school violence, a statewide psychological assessment hub and reforms to student learning plans.
Rockliff said the offer was shaped by months of negotiation and urged the union to drop work bans.
David Genford is the president of AEU Tasmania. Image / File
“Given the extremely positive package on the table, which delivers on our shared priorities with teachers, work bans should end to ensure student learning can continue without disruption,” he said.
But AEU Tasmania branch president David Genford said educators were furious.
“It beggars belief that this government thinks it is acceptable to make an offer to educators that seeks to include a requirement to discuss public service cuts while failing to address fundamental issues of workload and fair pay,” he said.
“Educators remain furious at the premier and education minister’s lack of respect and they have been left with no other choice but to continue with plans for statewide 24-hour strike action next week.”
Genford said the union had put forward practical solutions on workload but the government had rejected them.
The AEU threatened strikes in Devonport, Launceston and Hobart next week. Image / AEU Tasmania
The rolling strikes will hit Devonport and Burnie on Tuesday, Launceston on Wednesday and Hobart on Thursday, with marches and rallies planned at each location.
The AEU is calling on the education minister to make immediate decisions about school closures and inform families ahead of the action.
Earlier: The Tasmanian government has put a new wage offer to teachers, just days before planned statewide strikes are set to shut down public schools.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced the revised package on Friday, calling on teachers to end work bans immediately.
The offer includes pay rises of 3% in year one, 3% in year two and 2.75% in year three – the same wage structure as the first offer put forward on March 7, which was rejected by the union.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff has announced a revised wage package for teachers. Image / File
The new deal adds a further salary increase in the first year for the majority of teachers and assistant principals, along with additional staffing to address violence in schools, a statewide psychological assessment hub and reforms to student learning plans, the government said.
“Given the extremely positive package on the table, which delivers on our shared priorities with teachers, work bans should end to ensure student learning can continue without disruption,” Rockliff said.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) had issued an ultimatum to the premier, warning that full-day strikes would be held across Devonport, Launceston and Hobart on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week if a deal wasn’t reached.
Teachers have already imposed a total ban on NAPLAN testing and refused to attend meetings outside school hours.
It remains unclear whether the revised offer will be enough to head off that action. The AEU has not yet publicly responded to the deal.
The government says the offer is in line with the deal accepted by police in December, which included the same pay structure plus an increase to the 24-hour station allowance.
That agreement was backed by a slim majority of officers and funded by reallocating money earmarked for 50 new police positions.
The three-year package will remain open until 5pm on Tuesday, giving the union just days to respond.
If accepted, salary increases would be backdated to the first full pay period on or after March 1.