Technical and Further Education (TAFE) teachers are set to be paid the same as their public school counterparts after winning a 21 percent pay rise over four years in Victoria.
A 14 percent pay boost will kick in during the first 14 months of a new enterprise agreement, plus greater leave entitlements, if the workforce ticks off a new pay deal struck between their union and the state government.
The highest-paid classroom-based TAFE teacher would see their earnings grow to $134,775 (US$84,854) per year while a newly-qualified teacher would earn $100,912 (US$63,534) within four years.
It comes after two-and-a-half years of negotiations, during which union members staged classroom walkouts and a 24-hour strike involving hundreds of TAFE teachers marching on state parliament.
Australian Education Union Victorian Branch President Justin Mullaly said it was a great result as he acknowledged the prolonged period of industrial action for members.
“This is a massive win for Victorian TAFE teachers, who have tirelessly campaigned for improved salaries and conditions for nearly three years,” Mullaly said.
“Victorian TAFE teachers have been overworked and underpaid for far too long, leading to burnout and teachers leaving our TAFEs.”
He said his members were vital to addressing skills shortages across the state.
“Victoria cannot address this shortage of skills without addressing the key concerns of TAFE teachers which are causing them to leave the classroom,” he said.
“This agreement does just that.”
Negotiations were between the Australian Education Union and Victorian TAFE Association, with the agreement funded by the state government.
Victoria has a public sector wages cap of three percent to address its soaring wages bill.
The state’s net debt is expected to hit $155.2 billion (US$97.7 billion) by July and $187.3 billion (US$1117.9 billion) by mid-2028.
Skills and TAFE minister Gayle Tierney said the agreement would help attract and retain the sector’s workforce.
“We’re proud to give our TAFE teachers better pay and conditions—it’s absolutely what they deserve,” Tierney said.
“Our TAFE teachers are world-class and they’re training our state’s future workforce to build the homes we need, support our clean energy transition, and provide care for those who need it.”
It’s the latest in a long line of renewed industrial agreements and disputes in Victoria over the last year, with nurses winning a 28.5 percent wage increase and paramedics securing a boost of up to 33 percent.
The state’s police force staged more than a dozen stop-work actions as they pushed for better pay while firefighters and regional train operators also staged industrial action.
