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South Australian families are being urged to continue their child care options for next Friday after public school teachers voted in favour of a one-day strike.
Key points:
- SA public school teachers will go on strike Friday, September 1
- The union wants a pay increase and additional support for teachers
- The education department is warning parents OSHC might not be available for the full day
It is in response to what the SA branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) has described as an insulting enterprise bargaining offer from the state government.
A ballot of union members, which closed late on Friday, found 80 per cent voted to walk off the job on Friday, September 1.
In a statement the Department for Education said it will provide support to schools and pre-schools to ensure "no child is turned away" next Friday.
However, it warned parents and caregivers to consider their child care options.
"Schools and pre-schools will be in touch with their parent communities next week to advise what services will be available at each specific site, and we would urge families to keep an eye out for that advice," it said.
"In some cases Out of School Hours Care may not be available for the full day, and we ask families to consider their options"
The AEU has been locked in talks with the state government over the deal for more than six months.
SA Branch President Andrew Gohl said members would be encouraged to take part in a protest on the steps of state parliament during the strike action.
"I think it sends a very clear signal to the Malinauskas government that the offer that they put on the table is insignificant to deal with the issues that are affecting education workers is South Australia at the moment. In fact, we're in a crisis," he said.
Mr Gohl said the vote result was one of the strongest returns in the union's history.
"It underscores the level of dissatisfaction with the Malinauskas government," he said.
"Just remember that it was education workers were at the front-line workers during COVID. It was education workers who kept schools open so front-line workers could continue to send their kids to school."
Negotiations to continue
Following the announcement, a government spokesperson said the Minister for Industrial Relations and the Minister for Education would meet with the union again next week to continue negotiations.
"The State Government is committed to negotiating in good faith with teachers," the spokesperson said.
"However we are disappointed the teachers' union has rushed to strike action demanding a nearly 25 per cent increase in pay and a 20 per cent reduction in face-to-face teaching, the equivalent of going from five days per week to four days per week."
Ahead of the ballot result being made public, Education Minister Blair Boyer said he hoped the strike could be averted.
"Because we know it really inconveniences families," he said.
"We are confident we can come to an agreement with the union. The government has said, and I have said as minister since day one, that we've got to address workload and we want to give teachers a pay rise."
The AEU has been seeking an 8.6 per cent pay increase in the first year of its new agreement and 5.5 per cent in the following two years.
The government responded with an offer of 3 per cent per year over three years.
The union has also called for additional school support officers in classrooms and for teachers to be freed up more.
Mr Boyer said the union's asks had to be requests which the government could realistically deliver.
"We have tried to come to an agreement as quickly as we can. Parties have remained at the negotiating table," he said.
Last month, teachers and education staff were encouraged by the AEU to stop doing tasks that did not directly related to the teaching and learning of students as part of industrial action.