After the Victorian teachers’ strike on 24 March where tens of thousands marched, the Australian Education Union (AEU) announced that action would escalate in Term 2.
But escalated action was not planned at all. Instead of another 24-hour strike, AEU branch council voted for local rolling stoppages with schools striking for half a day. Industrial bans were implemented.
Now the rolling stoppages have been suspended, handing the initiative to the Department of Education.
The 24 hour stop work and strike in March had a huge impact. The department made a desperate last-minute offer of 17 per cent over four years—proposing a lower pay rise for education support staff than teachers, a clear attempt to divide the workforce.
This was rightly rejected as it was less than half of our pay claim of 35 per cent over three years, with no movement at all on working conditions that are burning out school staff.
The Labor government then decided to play dirty. A leak said that teachers “were about to be offered” 28 per cent over four years. This was intended to make teachers look ungrateful for a generous offer.
The Herald Sun published the headlines the government wanted but left AEU members angry at the possibility the union would accept an offer much less than our claims.
The bans are ruffling the government—state Labor MPs are frustrated by the ban on visits to schools and loss of photo opportunities with kids in an election year.
The impact of action so far has led to negotiations running seven days a week for the last two weeks as Solidarity went to press.
The AEU negotiating team are claiming good progress. On that basis, the AEU suspended the rolling strikes for two weeks. Members were bitterly disappointed.
Many voted for motions condemning the lifting of the rolling stoppages, calling for another 24-hour strike and rejecting a deal that does not meet our minimum demands on pay, caps on class sizes, reductions in face-to-face teaching, paid lunch breaks for support staff and the same pay offer for everyone.
At the time of writing, 17 workplaces and six regions have passed motions.
A key challenge for rank-and-file activists is helping turn anger in more workplaces into organisation and action to tell the AEU leadership that we want to fight. Fight The Crisis, an AEU rank-and-file group, will be campaigning outside the AEU branch council on 15 May, as there is a good chance a deal will be presented there for endorsement.
It is critical that branch councillors feel empowered to reject a bad deal, just as Victorian nurses did.
Members and delegates who want to fight should stay in touch with Fight the Crisis and arrange to come to the lobby of the AEU Branch Council on the 15th May.
By a Victorian AEU member
Follow Fight the Crisis on Instagram here
Join the lobby at AEU offices – 126 Trennery Crescent, Abbotsford at 9am on Friday 15 May, see here for full details
