With threat of escalation to historic 24-hour stopwork action.
Australian Education Union data shows that Victoria’s TAFE teacher shortage is expected to worsen, as TAFE teachers across Victoria’s 12 standalone TAFEs stopwork today to campaign for improved pay and conditions.
TAFE teachers will stopwork for a second time since June, and are set to escalate to a 24-hour statewide action on Wednesday 21 August. After more than two years of negotiations the state government and TAFE employers have failed to put a fair and reasonable offer for improved pay and conditions on the table.
The Victorian State of our TAFEs report shows 71% of TAFE teachers considered leaving their job last year citing concerns about unsustainable workloads, high stress, poor TAFE funding and inadequate pay.
The State of our TAFEs report is based on a survey of 490 Victorian TAFE teachers and shows that:
- 40% of teachers expect to cease working as a TAFE teacher by 2029, just five years away, and 71% of teachers considered leaving TAFE during 2023.
- 71% of teachers who say they have considered leaving in the last 12 months cited improved pay would encourage them to stay, along with 62% reporting reduced administrative duties would allow them to focus on class preparation and teaching students.
- 66% of teachers say their pay and working conditions do not reflect their professional value or the work they do.
- 79% say there is a shortage of teachers in their department, with the reasons for the shortage including pay and conditions available in industry, excessive workloads, stress, and poor funding for TAFEs.
- 53% of teachers report class sizes have increased over the past two years, with 54% saying class sizes present an OH&S risk.
AEU Victorian Branch President Meredith Peace said these figures show that teachers and students are bearing the brunt of the critical issues impacting Victorian TAFEs.
“We have been at the negotiating table for more than two years trying to get a decent pay and conditions deal that addresses our concerns for TAFE, but time and time again, the Allan Labor Government has failed to put an offer on the table,” Ms Peace said.
"Thousands of Victorian school leavers will soon be making serious decisions about their future, with the majority looking to TAFE as their preferred opportunity for further education and employment.
“But TAFE teachers are currently leaving the profession in droves, and those who remain say that they do not have the time, resources and adequate equipment and facilities required to support these students.
“Further to this, TAFE teachers in Victoria are currently paid $7,742 or over 7% less than equivalent experienced school teachers. This is an indictment on the Allan Labor Government’s failure to recognise the value of TAFE teachers and they role they play in our community, especially during a worsening national skills shortage.
“TAFE teachers are burnt-out and fed up with the inaction of this state government, who ten years ago, promised that they would save TAFE in Victoria. Instead, our TAFEs have been the lowest funded in the country for nine of the last ten years, and we have a shortage of TAFE teachers that will only get worse unless real action is taken. Without TAFE teachers, Premier Allan cannot fix skill shortages.”
“Members will rally at 18 stopwork meetings across the state today, and are prepared to escalate to a 24-hour stopwork action in August if Premier Allan and Minister Tierney fail to put a decent pay and conditions offer on the table.”
TAFE teachers across Victoria’s 12 standalone TAFEs will stop work today. TAFE teachers in Bendigo will rally outside Premier Allan’s electorate office, and TAFE teachers in Geelong will rally outside Minister Gayle Tierney’s electorate office.
AEU Vice President for TAFE, Elaine Gillespie and TAFE teachers are available for interview.
MEDIA CONTACT: WILL BREWSTER – 0458 809 472
24 July 2024