For the first time in 13 years, Victorian teachers marched for their rights in Melbourne’s city centre, demanding better working conditions and wages.
Among those striking were tens of thousands of public school teachers, principals and education support staff who made their voices heard at the rally despite Premier Jacinta Allan’s calls for the union to abandon industrial action.
Australian Education Union’s Victorian President Justin Mullaly confirmed to The Guardian that up to 500 schools would either be closed or “significantly affected.”
On Tuesday morning the rally began at Victorian Trades Hall and concluded at state parliament with near 35,000 in attendance.
Greek Australian M. Piritidis, Teacher and Union Member, attended the rally and spoke to The Greek Herald about their passion for this issue and reason for striking.
“Strikes like these are for sending governments strong messages. If they continue to devalue the mountain of work teachers do, not only during working hours, but in our own time, what do they expect?,” they said.
“It’s time to acknowledge that teachers are the backbone of these communities by putting pressure on the Allan Government to follow through on their promises to fund schools better.”
After more than a year of negotiating, teachers last week rejected Allan government’s offer of a 17 per cent pay rise over four years and said the offer didn’t address or acknowledge the other challenges faced by teachers.
The union demands a 35 per cent rise over four years for its members, arguing that Victorian teachers are paid less than teachers in other states.
Speaking to the protest’s atmosphere, M. Piritidis said, “As expected, the teachers continue to demand respect with respect. The rally was peaceful and focused on delivering our key messages.”
