TAFE teachers across Victoria’s 12 standalone TAFEs held stop-work meetings statewide on June 12 to protest what they describe as increasingly deteriorating working conditions.
GOTAFE in Shepparton was one of the affected sites.
Although they have not taken industrial action of this kind since 2008, TAFE teachers intend to hold more meetings of this nature in July and strike for 24 hours in August if the Victorian Government does not address their demand.
Since 2022, the Australian Education Union has been unsuccessfully negotiating teachers’ enterprise agreement with the government.
“By 1 July 2024, TAFE teachers in Victoria will receive $7700 less than equivalent experienced school teachers,” AEU Victorian branch president Meredith Peace said.
“We have been at the negotiating table for two years trying to get a pay and conditions deal that addresses these concerns, but the Allan Labor Government has failed to provide a decent offer.”
The AEU also said it had been 18 months since TAFE teachers received a pay rise.
The action coincides with the release of the latest Australian Education Union report, which surveyed 490 TAFE teachers across the state.
The compiled data indicates that 69.3 per cent of TAFE teachers considered leaving their job last year due to a teacher shortage, which created “an increased workload, inadequate pay and working conditions”, resulting in “workplace stress”.
The Victorian Government’s 2022 Jobs and Needs Training Report indicated that “VET-related employment accounts for close to 80 per cent of the Trades and Labour occupation” and plays a “pivotal” role by “facilitating career transition to areas where there is job growth”, ultimately creating a “more productive workforce that can adapt to the changing requirements of industry”.
It also estimated the state would need an additional 1165 Vocational Education Teachers by 2026.
Despite this, the AEU denounced a critical lack of resources.
“The Victorian Labor party came to power in this state nearly 10 years ago promising to save TAFE,” Ms Peace said.
“Instead, our TAFEs have been the lowest funded in the country for nine of the last 10 years, and we have a shortage of TAFE teachers that will only get worse unless real action is taken.
“There are serious problems with the underfunding of Victoria’s TAFEs, with the impacts being felt by teachers and students.”
According to the AEU report, members have indicated that over the past two years, there has been a noticeable drop in student wellbeing and engagement. Teachers have felt unable to best support their students due to a lack of time, resources, equipment and professional development.
“Victoria’s TAFE teachers are educating the future workers our state desperately needs, helping to address chronic skill shortages,” Ms Peace said.
“Without TAFE teachers, there are no tradies to build the homes we need. There are no personal care and disability workers to support the community members that need that care. There are no early childhood educators to educate our youngest children.”
Forty per cent of TAFE teachers intend on leaving their jobs by 2029, according to the latest report available, and the AEU predicted the current teacher shortage to worsen unless the government immediately took action to address the concerns of staff.