ALMOST 2000 western suburbs teachers have vowed to continue lobbying the state government for better working conditions and pay as industrial action continues apace.
A rally was held outside western suburbs Liberal MP Andrew Elsbury’s office in Keilor last Friday as part of a campaign of rolling regional stoppages up to December 21.
Teachers and support staff are fighting for higher salaries and reductions to class sizes, workload and contract employment.
Australian Education Union president Mary Bluett said talks with the government broke down on November 22 for a second time after Premier Ted Baillieu refused to respond to the union’s revised salary offer.
Teachers now demand a 13 per cent pay rise, down from earlier demands for 30 per cent over three years.
But Ms Bluett said the government had shown a “complete lack of respect for public school staff” in Victoria by publicly saying that it wanted this issue resolved, “but behind closed doors, not even having the decency to negotiate in good faith and respond to what is a very reasonable offer.”
Ms Bluett said there would be a ban this term on reporting student achievement to the Education Department; as well, there would be limited comments in student reports and a one-hour ban on scheduled meetings each week.
“Victorian public teachers, support staff and principals deserve real offers on the major issues of salaries, class sizes, workload and the high levels of contract employment,” she said.
The rally followed the state’s biggest teachers’ strike in September when dozens of schools across Melbourne’s west were closed as up to 40,000 teachers walked off the job.
Yarraville Special Development School principal Allan Cleland said the industrial action was justifiable given the Baillieu government’s promise to make teachers the best paid in the country.
The Department of Education did not respond to the Weekly’s request for comment before deadline. — Benjamin Millar and Melissa Cunningham
