Public school teachers, principals and education support staff in Victoria could take part in a 24-hour stopwork on 24 March if negotiations over pay and conditions do not progress.
The decision was announced in a media release from the Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian Branch on 13 February, which said its Primary and Secondary Sector Council had set a date for potential industrial action in Term 1.
According to the union, the stopwork would be the first in more than 13 years if it proceeds.
AEU Victorian Branch President Justin Mullaly said the decision followed months of negotiations with the state government without an offer on key issues.
“The decision was not taken lightly,” he said, adding that the union was seeking improvements to pay and workload.
Mr Mullaly said Victorian public schools had been “denied $2.4 billion in funding through to 2031” and that salaries for teachers, school leaders and education support staff were behind those in other states and territories. He also said school staff were working an average of 12 hours of unpaid overtime per week.
He said that by October 2026, Victorian teachers would be earning up to $15,359 a year less than their counterparts in New South Wales, while starting education support staff would be 10.5 per cent behind and new principals would be paid $27,841, or 18 per cent, less.
Mr Mullaly said the pay and workload issues were contributing to staff shortages and affecting the system’s ability to retain and attract employees.
The union also said a December agreement between the Victorian and Australian governments would leave Victorian public schools funded at the same level as in 2023.
The AEU is currently balloting members on whether to take protected industrial action. If endorsed, the statewide stopwork is scheduled for 24 March unless the government makes an offer addressing the union’s claims on pay and conditions.
