00:02Teachers are saying that they're already feeling really difficult and struggling with excessive
00:09workloads.
00:10They're also saying that they're stretched completely thin in an environment where there's
00:15a chronic teacher shortage.
00:17And they say that these negotiations with the state government have completely broken
00:21down and that is why they have decided to strike for 24 hours, as you say, next Thursday.
00:27Now, that will lead to hundreds of schools across Victoria not operating and it's no doubt
00:34going to cause significant headaches for the Allen Labor government here ahead of a state
00:40election later this year.
00:42We also as well, of course, know that this is the second time that teachers have gone on
00:47strike.
00:47Earlier this year, an estimated 35,000 teachers marched to state parliament to voice their anger
00:54and they say that this latest strike action, as well as banning unpaid overtime, is necessary
01:01because Victorian public schools are the lowest funded in the country.
01:05Justin Mullally, who is the Victorian President of the Australian Education Union, has said
01:12that the Allen Labor government is purposefully denying at least $2.4 billion in funding for
01:20Victorian public schools.
01:22And he goes on to say that in this underfunded system, teachers, principals and education support
01:28staff are working an average of 12 hours unpaid overtime every week.
01:33The government must stop relying on the goodwill of school employees as a core part of their
01:38funding model for schools.
01:40And he also says that it's estimated only about three in 10 public school teachers consider
01:47that they are going to be remaining in their job through to retirement.
01:52And he says that is due to those excessive workloads.
01:55Now, last month, we actually saw teachers go against union advice and vote down a pay deal
02:02that the education union had managed to come to with the state government of pay rises between
02:0828 and 32 per cent over four years. Teachers at the time wanted 35 per cent over four years.
02:18Steph, what has the government said?
02:21Well, the government says that the rejected deal that teachers voted down would actually
02:27have made them the highest paid teachers in the country. And they have urged the union to stop
02:34this industrial action and to actually return to the bargaining table. It also says that it's
02:42managing to continue on with some of those basic level of supervision, even though schools
02:50are going to be closed next Thursday. But it says that this is really going to disrupt hardworking
02:56families across Victoria. And that is why it wants to see an end to this strike action.
03:03Obviously, the optics aren't great as we're heading towards a Victorian state election in November.
03:10And the government would be very keen to make sure that they put this industrial unrest to bed
03:15before voters go to the polls, because there will be many working families out there trying to work
03:22out how they're going to juggle work and their families, especially if they have to look after
03:28their children when these schools close on Thursday.
03:31I would say, if there was a black, well, and that's the end to a school.
03:35I'm so optimistic. I hope so.
03:35All right.
03:35And thank you so much.
03:35Please.
03:35Bye.
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