Teachers in Victorian TAFEs have voted to take industrial action to fight for pay and conditions that will value their work, address the TAFE teacher shortage, deliver for students and strengthen the Victorian economy.
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said the action was necessary as the Allan Labor government had failed to put an appropriate offer on the table after almost two years of negotiations.
“From 1 July, Victoria’s TAFE teachers will be paid $7,742 a year or 7 per cent less than similarly experienced school teachers,” Ms Peace said.
"Not valuing TAFE teachers is disrespectful and they should not be valued less than school teachers.
“In addition to a pay offer that does not value them, TAFE teachers are required to do excessive unpaid overtime, teach increasingly large class sizes, and deliver more content in fewer hours to students because of chronic underfunding.
“This leaves precious little time for TAFE teachers to do what they love, which is to support students and help prepare them for the jobs they hope to gain following study.
“It’s no wonder that many teachers are leaving the profession to return to industry, where they can often earn much more without the accompanying stress and extra workloads.
“This turnover is making the significant shortage of TAFE teachers we’re currently experiencing even worse.
“The Premier and the Skills Minister appear to have turned their backs on TAFE teachers and, through them, the students they teach and the businesses that will employ these students in the future,” Ms Peace said.
TAFE teachers are seeking new measures to address unsustainable workloads, better recognition of and funded support for teaching qualifications, and a pay rise which values their work, retains existing teachers and attracts the next generation to the profession to address the shortage of TAFE teachers.
“TAFE teachers play a vital role in the Victorian economy. We cannot hope to address skill shortages unless we address the shortage of TAFE teachers.
“The Allan government’s refusal to provide TAFE teachers with fair and decent salaries and conditions during a nationwide skills shortage is short sighted and no way to save TAFE which they have promised repeatedly to do,” Ms Peace said.
“We call on the Allan Labor government to come to the table and respect TAFE teachers through a new agreement which properly acknowledges their contribution to Victoria.”
MEDIA CONTACT: ALYS GAGNON – 0438 379 977
18 April 2024