Public schools throughout Wangaratta and district are bracing for the impact of stop work action next Tuesday, as the Australian Education Union (AEU) intensifies its efforts to gain better pay and work conditions for teachers, principals and support staff.

The Fair Work Commission has given the green light for public school teachers, principals, and support staff to take protected industrial action which includes stopping work for 24 hours on Tuesday, 24 March.

Some 98 per cent of Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff who are AEU members voted in support of taking stopwork action over low pay and excessive workloads.

The Wangaratta Chronicle reached out to local public schools, however Wangaratta High School (WHS) was the only one to respond at the time of going to print.

It declined to comment but confirmed the school will remain operational.

In a message to parents WHS said it was anticipating to have a significantly reduced number of staff on site.

AEU Victorian branch president, Justin Mullaly, said that after eight months of negotiations with no offer at all, the Victorian government has left public school teachers, principals, and support staff with no choice but to stop work.

“Public school teachers, principals, and support staff will stop work on 24 March, for the first time in 18 years under a Labor government because of the failure of the Education Minister Ben Carroll and Premier Jacinta Allan to deliver pay and conditions which respect school staff and the important work that they do, as well as fully fund public schools," he said.

“This decision has not been taken lightly, and we keenly understand the impact this can have on parents, but we have arrived here because the Allan Labor government is continuing to disrespect public school teachers, principals, and support staff by not putting any offer on the table, let alone a decent one.

“The Victorian government has deliberately denied Victorian public schools $2.4 billion in funding through to 2031, cementing our schools as the lowest funded in Australia by a long way.

“It is a joke for this government to call Victoria the ‘education state’, when teachers, principals and support staff continue to be undervalued and underpaid."

A Victorian government spokesperson said public school teachers and school staff deserve a pay rise and that's what the government will give them.

“Our offer reflects the important work our educators do every day teaching and shaping our youngest Victorians," the spokesperson said.

“This is a significant and genuine offer – we call on the Australian Education Union to end its planned industrial action that will disrupt families across Victoria and continue negotiating in good faith.”

In solidarity with government school educators, Catholic school staff across Victoria will be holding actions next Tuesday, including before- and after-school rallies, “wear it black” actions, fundraising “coffee credits” for striking AEU members, and motions of support for staff in government schools.

The IEU is currently involved in a legal dispute in the Fair Work Commission to secure those bargaining rights for their members.

Like AEU members, IEU members in Catholic schools are seeking a new agreement that improves pay (currently amongst the lowest in the country) and tackles vital workload and staff wellbeing issues.