Vic: Pike urges striking teachers to negotiate over pay

AAP General News (Australia)
02-14-2008
Vic: Pike urges striking teachers to negotiate over pay

MELBOURNE, Feb 14 AAP - Victorian Education Minister Bronwyn Pike has urged striking
teachers to return to the negotiating table and resolve their wages claim.

About 25,000 teachers have walked off the job across the state today demanding better
pay - and saying they are the worst-paid in Australia.

Teachers want a 10 per cent annual wage rise but Ms Pike said any rise above the government's
public sector wages policy of 3.25 per cent must be offset by productivity improvement.

She said the Australian Education Union (AEU) claim would cost the government about $8 billion.

"Clearly it's an ambit claim, clearly that is also not acceptable," Ms Pike told reporters today.

"Our interest is striking the right balance, giving teachers the extra pay of course
which they deserve, but also making sure that we are doing that in line with community
standards and also allowing there to be the resources to fund the extra things that make
our education system a quality system.

"We want to have a fair pay rise for teachers but we also want to have the money so
that we can have the extra classrooms, the new computer technology and the new programs
that are there to continue our excellent system."

Ms Pike said teachers walked away from the negotiating table in November, but the door
was always open and there was nothing the government could do to resolve the dispute until
the union resumed talks.

"In the end these things are resolved by people coming back to the table, sitting down
together and working out what's in the best interests of teachers and ultimately, most
importantly, what's in the best interests of our children."

Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Mary Bluett says Victorian teachers
are "the lowest paid in the nation".

"Those at the top of the scale receive 15 per cent less than their NSW counterparts,
which equates to nearly $10,000 per year."

AAP cmb/szp/gfr/cjh/bwl

KEYWORD: TEACHERS VIC PIKE

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