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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Teachers\u2019 union members are demanding fresh strikes in Victoria\u2019s public schools after rejecting the Labor government\u2019s 28 per cent pay rise offer.<\/p>\n Related Article The Australian Education Union (AEU) confirmed on Friday morning that a ballot of its membership, believed to be about 60,000, voted by a margin of 57.7 per cent to 42.3 per cent to reject the draft proposal, agreed between the state government and the union\u2019s leadership last month.<\/p>\n The vote comes after a bitterly contested internal campaign within the union, with a well-organised \u201cno\u201d camp urging union members to reject the deal they had been offered, arguing that 28 per cent over four years fell well short of their headline demand of 35 per cent over three years.<\/p>\n Those opposed to the deal on offer say the teachers should capitalise on the momentum generated by the mass walk-off in March, when 35,000 educators thronged the streets of Melbourne, and take more industrial action in pursuit of a better deal.<\/p>\n The union told members on Friday morning that the majority had decided that the government\u2019s offer was not good enough, setting the stage for more industrial chaos ahead of November\u2019s state election.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is clear that despite the improvements to the state government\u2019s March offer, the majority of members hold the view that the government\u2019s May offer has not gone far enough to address their concerns,\u201d the union\u2019s state branch president Justin Mullaly told members.<\/p>\n \u201cThis is the message that the union will strongly convey to the state government.\u201d<\/p>\n The union\u2019s governing branch council, which endorsed the proposed deal and urged members to vote in favour of the proposal, will meet on Friday to discuss the next steps.<\/p>\n Long-time union activist Lucy Honan, a key figure in the \u201cNo\u201d camp, said the vote showed that teachers wanted to continue to confront the state government.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mood has been there for major change for a long time, and this campaign really brought it out,\u201d Honan told The Age.<\/p>\n \u201cThe mandate is now for pushing for huge transformations to public education.<\/p>\n \u201cThe rank and file is going to be expecting strike action, and we will be organising it, one way or another.\u201d<\/p>\n The result has important political ramifications, just five months out from the election.<\/p>\n Acceptance of the pay offer would have allowed Education Minister Ben Carroll to sign a long-awaited agreement with the Commonwealth to eventually bring the state\u2019s schools up to the minimum funding standard, potentially neutralising education funding as an election issue.<\/p>\n The union, a key Labor backer in the past two state polls, will be unable to campaign for the Allan government if it remains locked in an industrial dispute in the lead-up to November.<\/p>\n Carroll\u2019s office has been contacted for comment.<\/p>\n Start the day with a summary of the day\u2019s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter<\/a>.<\/p>\n Save<\/p>\n You have reached your maximum number of saved items.<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3086d71d28e2badb1f315a6f1c7f719663a576dd.jpeg\")
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