Government lifts teacher pay offer in bid to stop planned strike

The state government has increased its pay offer to public school teachers in a bid to stop next week’s planned strike action.

But the Australian Education Union (AEU) has accused the government of making “anti-union” moves by sending the offer directly to employees.

The revised offer would deliver a 28.3 per cent pay increase for teachers, principals and education support staff over four years, including an initial 12.75 per cent increase by October 2026.

Education minister Ben Carroll said the offer would halve required meeting hours and align education support staff wage increases with teachers.

“More than 90,000 full-time teachers will earn over $1,000 more per month by October this year and almost $3,000 more per month by 2030 and education support staff will earn $1600 more per month by 2030,” he said.

Carroll urged the AEU to cancel next Thursday’s planned strike.

“Students should be in classrooms and parents shouldn’t be left scrambling for childcare or losing a day’s pay,” he said.

AEU Victorian branch president Justin Mullaly said the core components of the offer remained unchanged from the deal presented by the government in May.

He said the union received the offer late on Thursday and would hold a meeting on Friday to discuss it.

Mullaly also criticised the government’s decision to communicate the offer directly to employees.

“They should know better; they’ve decided that they want to go around the union. They want to go straight to employees with this offer, but I want you to know first because it’s union members who get to decide,” Mullaly said.

The AEU confirmed earlier this week that public school teachers would undertake a 24-hour strike on 23 July, following their first industrial action in 13 years in March.