Members of the Australian Education Union's Victorian branch will stage a 24-hour statewide strike after roughly half voted to reject the Victorian Government's offer of a 28.3 per cent pay rise spread across four years.
Local schools have confirmed the strike will affect services differently, with some closing individual classes while others will shut their doors entirely for the day.
Echuca East Primary School will be significantly impacted with 19 staff members striking and the whole school affected.
Principal Lindy Burke said teachers acknowledge the disruption the strike will cause, but hopes it will lead to a “stronger and more sustainable” education system.
She said the strike is particularly significant for a border community like Echuca, where schools regularly lose experienced staff to NSW schools that offer more competitive pay and conditions.
“Investing in our public education workforce is essential to attracting and retaining great educators, ultimately delivering the best possible outcomes for our students,” she said.
“Our students should be at the centre of every decision made, and ensuring they have access to high-quality teachers is fundamental to their success.”
At Echuca College, only Year 8 students will be required at school on Thursday, with Year 7, 9, 10, 11 and 12 students off.
Echuca Twin Rivers Specialist School will have 15 teaching staff walk off the job, closing four classrooms and shutting out students in Years 7 and 8.
Principal of Tongala Primary School Rob Hogan wrote to the school community saying with 10 teaching staff striking, all formal classes will be cancelled.
The AEU represents more than 50,000 teachers and educators working across public schools, TAFE, early childhood education, AMES Australia and disability services throughout Victoria.
On Tuesday, July 21, the AEU reported an online vote of more than 50,677 members indicated between 48.82 per cent to 51.18 per cent were in favour of rejecting the government’s most recent offer.
AEU president Justin Mullaly said the outcome of the vote sends a strong signal to Premier Jacinta Allan and Education Minister Ben Carroll that the government must fix the under-resourcing of public schools.
“When just three in 10 public school teachers plan to stay working in public schools in Victoria, it is obvious there is a problem,” Mr Mullaly said.
“Victorian public school teachers, principals and education support staff are demanding the Allan Labor Government acts in line with what they say Victoria is.
“If Victoria was actually the education state, public school staff would have access to the funding and resources they need to deliver the education their students deserve.”
Thursday’s walkout marks the second major education strike action taken in the region this year, following May’s Catholic sector protests, underscoring a growing wave of workforce frustration across both public and faith-based schools.
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