Victorian Teachers to Strike Again After Rejecting Latest Pay Offer

Victorian state school teachers and educators are going ahead with their second major strike on Thursday, after union members voted to reject the government's latest pay offer.

It follows a 24-hour strike in March which saw about 35,000 educators and supporters marching through Melbourne's CBD to state parliament.

The union had initially thought its prolonged industrial dispute was over after it reached an in-principle agreement with the state government in May but its members went against its advice and threw out the proposal.

So, why was the deal voted down? What will a strike mean for families?

And how has the government responded?

What happened to the pay offer?

Negotiations on a new enterprise bargaining agreement for Victorian principals, teachers and support stalled well over a year ago.

Initially, the Australian Education Union (AEU) was fighting for a 35 per cent rise over three years for all members, arguing they were paid far less than those in other states.

After no progress was made in talks with the government, union members voted to hold their first statewide 24-hour strike in 13 years in March, effectively shutting down schools and bringing traffic to a standstill as an estimated 35,000 people rallied in Melbourne's CBD.

In May, the union announced it had reached an in-principle agreement that would see teachers receive a pay rise of between 28 and 32 per cent over four years, depending on their role and an increase in student-free days.

But a month later, unexpectedly, the offer was put to the union members for a vote and they rejected it citing excessive workloads, a lack of adequate funding for schools and a failure to offer a decent pay rise to support staff.

Negotiations resumed and the government made a new offer last week to try to head off the second strike.

This time it included support staff in a 28 per cent pay rise over 4 years and a halving of the number of compulsory meetings educators must attend.

More than 50,000 members voted on that proposal over the weekend, and that was again rejected.

Why was the latest offer voted down?

The union said just over 51 per cent of its members opposed the new offer.

AEU Victoria Branch president Justin Mullaly said teachers wanted a three-year deal and more action to alleviate teachers' workloads.

"You've got a state government that wants to call Victoria the education state but can't actually back that up with the resources that school staff need to delver the quality education that our children deserve," he said.

"Our members have had enough of it, they've had a gutful and they want our schools funded properly they also want the terms and conditions that they need in order to thrive."

Mr Mullaly said there continued to be a staff shortage in state schools but the government had not done anything meaningful to fix it.

"[The government has] got to do better, they've got to do more, they've got to step up."

What does this mean for classes?

There will be major statewide disruptions, with the strike again effectively shutting down state schools tomorrow.

Some schools are telling parents they will not have enough staff to run classes or provide supervision.

Others may be offering limited supervision for students.

"Students in Year 11 and 12 are asked to stay home, and to use the time for independent work that still support their learning," one high school advised.

"Some teachers may choose to provide guidance on what work should be completed on this day.

Union members once again are expected to rally in Melbourne's CBD, this time meeting in the Bourke Street Mall and marching to Parliament House.

What does the government say?

Deputy Premier and Education Minister Ben Carroll said he was disappointed with the outcome of the teacher vote.

"This deal would have made Victorian teachers and education support staff the best paid in the country together with the best conditions," he said.

"Students should be in classrooms and parents shouldn't be left scrambling for childcare or losing a day's pay."

Mr Carroll has not provided detail about the government's next steps.