The education union has reached in-principle agreements with the state government that would see public school teachers receive pay rises of between 28 and 32 per cent and more student-free days each year after a long-running wage dispute.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) confirmed the complex deal would result in pay rises awarded depending on an educator’s role, with the government saying it would make some teachers the highest paid in the country.
The union wanted a 35 per cent rise over three years for all members, arguing Victorian teachers were paid far less than those in other states.
The agreement has been endorsed by the AEU but has yet to go to teachers for a vote.
The Australian Education Union’s Victorian branch met on Friday to discuss the latest government pay offer. (ABC News)
AEU Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly said he believed members would accept the offer.
“This is a really good agreement,” Mr Mullaly said.
“This is an agreement that delivers pay increases well in excess of the original government offer.”
Mr Mullaly said the deal would cover about 80,000 teachers, principals, and education support staff, and he expected the vote would happen in June, with the pay rises to begin in the following months.
“It’s an agreement that does what members sought us to do, and that’s to lift us from the bottom of the pile up towards the top.
“A Victorian teacher at the top of the scale, by October, would go past their New South Wales counterpart. That’s over a $15,000 increase.
“That same teacher will go from $118,000 to over $151,000.”
Mr Mullaly said the first pay rises this year would range between 13 and 16.7 per cent.
Justin Mullaly says he believes teachers will vote to accept the offer. (ABC News)
He said teachers would also now have three additional student-free days each year, allowing them a total of eight days a year to plan and prepare lessons.
The AEU said it had also endorsed an offer for early childhood staff, who will be offered a 39 per cent pay rise over four years.
In March, educators and supporters took statewide strike action, marching to state parliament in the Melbourne CBD, with Victoria Police estimating 35,000 were in attendance.
The AEU had previously rejected the state government’s 17 per cent offer, after more than a year of negotiations.
Opposition leader Jess Wilson criticised the time it took the government to offer a pay rise that was acceptable to the union.
“The negotiations have taken too long,” she said.
“We’ve seen teachers out of the classrooms striking on the streets and it’s not good enough … too many children and too many families have been affected by it.”
Ben Carroll says the deal will provide teachers with the best working conditions in Australia. (ABC News)
Education Minister Ben Carroll rejected Ms Wilson’s comments.
“If you look at the timelines on this agreement, you’ll actually see this education agreement is one of the quickest that has been done,” he said.
“[The union] had to give a bit and we had to give a bit.”
Mr Carroll said the deal was worth $4.6 billion over the length of the agreement and he was confident union members would vote it in.
Premier Jacinta Allan said the government had always supported a pay rise for educators.