AEU suspends bans as state sector agreement nears

The Australian Education Union (AEU) Victorian Branch has suspended its major industrial action planned for the next two weeks after reporting “strong progress” on its negotiations with the state government.

A statement released Monday morning said the union had “resolved to suspend the commencement of rolling stop work action of AEU members in Victorian public schools for a two week period enabling intensive negotiations to occur to maximise the best chance for an in-principal agreement to be reached”.

On 24 March, over 35,000 AEU members rallied in central Melbourne to protest months of delay in the finalising of a deal on pay and conditions. Over 120 IEU work sites held lawful get-togethers in solidarity.

The AEU announced a series of work bans focused on regions which were set to begin Monday.

The statement read: “The Australian Education Union Victorian Branch has achieved strong progress in negotiations towards delivering pay increases aligned with other states and territories for education support staff, teachers, and school leaders”.

“For the AEU this means closing the percentage gap between Victorian wages and those of public education workers in NSW in 2026, with further strong increases in subsequent years.

“As a result, the AEU Victorian Branch Executive, which is made up of elected AEU members who are practicing teachers, education support staff and principals, along with the union’s leadership, has resolved to suspend the commencement of rolling stop work action of AEU members in Victorian public schools for a 2 week period enabling intensive negotiations to occur to maximise the best chance for an in-principal agreement to be reached.

“This means that the actions scheduled for this week and next week will not go ahead as previously advised.”

Other AEU industrial bans, including bans on answering Department of Education emails, provision of written comments in student reports for parents, and school visits by state Labor MPs, remain in place.

IEU Secretary General David Brear says the AEU’s suspension of industrial action shows that a deal is close in the state sector, obviously assists greatly with negotiations in the Catholic sector and in independent schools.

It also shows how important it is for workers to have access to the full arsenal of industrial tools – the reason IEU members have fought so hard and so long for a single interest authorisation in Victorian Catholic school negotiations, which would grant them access to lawful industrial action.

“The AEU actions of 24 March had a massive effect on the government and informed the public about their claim. It forced action on a deal, plain and simple. That leverage is being denied workers in the Victorian Catholic schools. IEU members showed, with all their solidarity actions on 24 March, that they not only support their state school colleagues, but they also know exactly what is being denied them – fair bargaining rights afforded nearly every other worker in Australia.”

Employers have not yet responded fully to the IEU’s Log of Claims and met only once to discuss bargaining in seven weeks during March and April. Last year they tried to bypass proper bargaining altogether with a so-called “offer”. IEU members saw that for the cynical act that is was.

David said that in Term 2, IEU members in Victorian Catholic schools will increase pressure on employers through lawful, collective action.

“Members are making it clear to parents, politicians, the media and the wider community that employers are denying hardworking educators basic industrial rights and delaying discussion of overdue pay rises and workplace improvements.

“It’s time that employers realised that there is no getting out of this process – they have to take their staff’s concerns about pay and conditions seriously at the bargaining table – now!”