The Tasmanian government has put a new wage offer to teachers, just days before planned statewide strikes are set to shut down public schools.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff announced the revised package on Friday, calling on teachers to end work bans immediately.
The offer includes pay rises of 3% in year one, 3% in year two and 2.75% in year three – the same wage structure as the first offer put forward on March 7, which was rejected by the union.
The new deal adds a further salary increase in the first year for the majority of teachers and assistant principals, along with additional staffing to address violence in schools, a statewide psychological assessment hub and reforms to student learning plans, the government said.
“Given the extremely positive package on the table, which delivers on our shared priorities with teachers, work bans should end to ensure student learning can continue without disruption,” Rockliff said.
The Australian Education Union (AEU) had issued an ultimatum to the premier, warning that full-day strikes would be held across Devonport, Launceston and Hobart on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday next week if a deal wasn’t reached.
Teachers have already imposed a total ban on NAPLAN testing and refused to attend meetings outside school hours.
It remains unclear whether the revised offer will be enough to head off that action. The AEU has not yet publicly responded to the deal.
The government says the offer is in line with the deal accepted by police in December, which included the same pay structure plus an increase to the 24-hour station allowance.
That agreement was backed by a slim majority of officers and funded by reallocating money earmarked for 50 new police positions.
The three-year package will remain open until 5pm on Tuesday, giving the union just days to respond.
If accepted, salary increases would be backdated to the first full pay period on or after March 1.
