Victorian TAFE teachers will strike for 24 hours in response to stalled pay disputes with the state Labor government.

For more than two years the Australian Education Union (AEU) has been negotiating a new pay agreement with the state government to no success. In response to this, unionised TAFE teachers will be striking for 24 hours and rallying outside Victorian parliament.

Current negotiations have been suspended and restrictions including bans on working extra hours have been in place since April.

AEU Victoria Branch President Meredith Peace said in June that, “We plan to build up from stopworks of one hour, to a statewide 24-hour day of action, and further action if needed.”

This plan included the 24-hour stop work action all day on Wednesday 21 August which is currently taking place.

Peace also said the Allan Labor government “repeatedly promised to ‘save TAFE’ yet their failure shows they’ve turned their backs on TAFE teachers”.

A report from July by the Victorian Auditor-General shows that the sector’s net result in 2023 would’ve been a $35 million loss without government capital grants.

TAFE teachers haven’t stopped work since 2012 when they protested pay cuts, and before that they hadn’t stopped work since 2008 as a part of a protected strike action.

Photo: The bear says no to the cuts by John Englart is available HERE and is used under a Creative Commons Licence. This image has not been modified.