Kindergartens close across state as teachers strike
Kindergartens stand empty in one state for the second time in months as teachers strike amid a dispute with the government over pay and conditions.
A 20-month pay dispute between nursery educators and the Victorian government culminated in a 24-hour statewide work stoppage on Thursday.
The Australian Education Union has accused the government of failing to put an acceptable offer on the table and will hold a mass meeting of members before about 1000 teachers are expected to march on parliament in Melbourne.
Victoria’s kindergarten teachers haven’t had a pay rise in almost two years.
The sector is reeling as teachers are underpaid and face excessive and unmanageable workloads, working an average of one day of unpaid overtime every week, according to a union representative.
The union’s Victorian president, Justin Mullaly, said the government’s “disrespectful” treatment of workers could have serious consequences for families and the industry.
Nearly half of kindergarten teachers always or often consider leaving the early childhood profession, according to a recent union survey.
“This is due to poor opportunities to raise wages, excessive compliance requirements and insufficient planning time,” Mr. Mullaly said.
“The Allan-Labor government’s failure to put an offer of fair and decent pay and conditions on the table makes it much harder to attract and retain the workforce.”
The union said it also puts at risk the government’s promise of free kindergarten for all Victorian children.
Families were promised 15 hours of free kindergarten for three-year-olds and 30 hours for four-year-olds, but it was stated that Victoria needed 11,000 more kindergarten teachers to deliver this.
“Attracting the next generation of kindergarten teachers and educators requires competitive wages and evaluation of their work,” said Cara Nightingale, the union’s vice president of early childhood.
The last statewide 24-hour kindergarten teacher strike occurred in September, the first in more than a decade.
