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Remove items from your saved list<\/a> to add more.<\/p>\n AAA<\/p>\n Thousands of Victorian students are facing a day of disrupted learning when up to 35,000 government school teachers walk off the job for a second time on Thursday, forcing the Labor government back to the negotiating table months before an election.<\/p>\n A sea of red is expected to shut down parts of the Melbourne CBD when Australian Education Union members march through the city, ignoring the government\u2019s last-minute plea to call off statewide strikes.<\/p>\n The union\u2019s Victorian president, Justin Mullaly, said members would march together to send a \u201cloud and clear message to the premier and education minister that they can\u2019t ignore\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cOur message is this: you must fix your public school funding mess by fully funding our schools, and you must put a pay and conditions offer on the table that properly values and respects the work of AEU members,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n What exactly that offer must include is murky; Mullaly has not named a revised number that would get a deal across the line since accepting an in-principle agreement from the government in May, which members\u00a0 rejected<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related Article In an email to members last week, he identified a number of sticking points, which included better recognition of education support staff; improved pay recognition for employees at the top of their salary range; reduced class sizes; increased pay if inflation is more than annual pay; increased planning and preparation time; meeting reductions; and more work flexibility, including working from home when possible.<\/p>\n The government\u2019s last-ditch offer last week to prevent the strike addressed many of those concerns, including a pay rise for education support staff of 28.3 per cent over four years, commensurate with that offered to teachers, and halving the number of meetings teachers had to attend.<\/p>\n But 51.18 per cent of the 50,000 union members who voted<\/a> on the deal rejected it, resulting in a ban on working overtime and the 24-hour stop-work action on Thursday. The government\u2019s insistence on a four-year deal, instead of the three-year deal the union was pushing for, remains a sticking point.<\/p>\n Most schools were expected to remain open during the strike, although many would only supervise a limited number of students. Several public high schools asked senior students to stay home to reduce the reliance on relief teachers.<\/p>\n The Allan government had expected to avoid the action by bringing the protracted negotiations to a close in May, after reaching an in-principle agreement that would have given teachers a pay rise of 28 per cent over four years and an increase in student-free days.<\/p>\n Union members shocked their leadership and the government by voting down the offer a month later, expressing frustration that it fell well short of their demand for 35 per cent over three years.<\/p>\n The surprise rejection, which drew ire from Education Minister Ben Carroll, who accused the union\u2019s leadership of being out of touch with its members, came after a fierce campaign by the union\u2019s vocal left.<\/p>\n The left faction rallied members against the proposal, citing the discrepancy between support staff \u2013 who were offered a pay rise of 24 per cent \u2013 and teachers as a major hurdle. The government\u2019s revised offer last week offered support staff the same pay rise as teachers, 28.3 per cent, but the left faction was still against it.<\/p>\n \u201cNo\u201d camp spokesperson Lucy Honan, a veteran unionist who ran for branch president in 2024 and pulled in 37 per cent of the vote, has continued the rally against Labor\u2019s recent proposal.<\/p>\n Her group, Fight the Crisis, will push for additional strikes in the next fortnight if their demands, which include class-size reductions and reduced teaching time, aren\u2019t met.<\/p>\n Parents Victoria, the peak body representing parents and carers of students in government schools, said parents wanted certainty after the months-long negotiation process.<\/p>\n \u201cSchool communities are understandably tired of the uncertainty and want both parties to reach an agreement that provides long-term stability for students, families and school staff,\u201d they said in a statement.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile the enterprise agreement is a matter for the negotiating parties, parents see this as part of a broader conversation about properly valuing public education.\u201d<\/p>\n The strike and ban are in addition to industrial action that began in term 3, which includes a ban on state Labor MPs visiting public schools and a ban on implementing new government programs.<\/p>\n Will Nash, whose son is in grade 2 at Port Melbourne Primary School, said public school teachers had his full support for Thursday.<\/p>\n \u201cI can understand there would be frustrations for some people because it changes the dynamic of their week,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for the sake of a day of school that might change the lives of the teachers, who are the people who are looking after our kids, I think it\u2019s fine. It\u2019s a drop in the ocean of a disturbance.\u201d<\/p>\n Nash said he saw it as giving back to the people, teachers, who had given so much of their time and lives to so many.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve only got two kids, but imagine looking after 42 for a whole day,\u201d he said. \u201cThey need more help and support, and I think we need to give that back to them.\u201d<\/p>\n Related Article Union officials predict Thursday\u2019s march will rival the strike in March, the union\u2019s first in 13 years, which drew about 35,000 educators and supporters to the streets of Melbourne.<\/p>\n Trams will be disrupted through the city when the march gets under way in the Bourke Street Mall at 10.30am. Teachers will make their way to Parliament House.<\/p>\n Carroll called the outcome of Tuesday\u2019s vote disappointing and urged the union leadership to call it off.<\/p>\n \u201cThis deal would have made Victorian teachers and education support staff the best paid in the country together with the best conditions,\u201d he said.<\/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![\"Australian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784722332_886_15b90410b910e6642cc081c569f5b430289aa2a3.jpeg\")
Australian Education Union Victorian president Justin Mullaly speaks to the media on Tuesday.Ruby Alexander<\/p>\n![\"Teachers,](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/597e99117113492e39c786980683bea8d060949d.jpeg\")
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Matt Golding <\/p>\n![\"Port](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/76a9f90f2fdeb346a371832457df9a273a658011.jpeg\")
Port Melbourne Primary School dad Will Nash said teachers had his full support.Jason South <\/p>\n![\"Striking](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/1784722335_712_c5147f90472c935e6aae34572aa6d537cfb131d0.jpeg\")
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