Teachers to be offered 28 per cent pay rise in bid to avoid more strikes

{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","dateModified":"2026-04-28T07:45:35Z","datePublished":"2026-04-28T07:45:35Z","description":"A fresh offer is imminent as principals move to join in the industrial unrest at state’s 1570 government schools.","headline":"Teachers to be offered 28 per cent pay rise in bid to avoid more strikes","keywords":"Private schools, For subscribers","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Noel Towell","jobTitle":"Education Editor, The Age","url":"/by/noel-towell-hven2"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Kieran Rooney","jobTitle":"State political reporter","url":"/by/kieran-rooney-p5370b"},{"@type":"Person","name":"Bridie Smith","jobTitle":"Desk Editor, The Age","url":"/by/bridie-smith-hveis"}],"mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https://www.theage.com.au/politics/victoria/teachers-to-be-offered-28-per-cent-pay-rise-in-bid-to-avoid-more-strikes-20260428-p5zrrk.html","@type":"WebPage"},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"1322.6666666666665","url":"https://static.ffx.io/images/$zoom_0.1765%2C$multiply_0.7025%2C$ratio_1.777778%2C$width_1059%2C$x_0%2C$y_46/t_crop_custom/q_86%2Cf_auto/147e687dbc29996f24839a2eb6016bca1bd163e3","width":"744"},"isAccessibleForFree":false,"hasPart":[{"@type":"WebPageElement","isAccessibleForFree":false,"cssSelector":".paywall"}],"publisher":{"@type":"NewsMediaOrganization","name":"The Sydney Morning Herald","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","height":"628","url":"https://www.smh.com.au/metro-assets/assets/static/smh.png","width":"1200"},"url":"https://www.smh.com.au"},"isPartOf":{"@type":["CreativeWork","Product"],"name":"The Sydney Morning Herald","productID":"smh.com.au:webonly"}}{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/politics","name":"Politics"},"position":1},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria","name":"Victoria"},"position":2},{"@type":"ListItem","item":{"@id":"https://www.smh.com.au/topic/private-schools-60s","name":"Private schools"},"position":3}]}AdvertisementPoliticsVictoriaPrivate schoolsTeachers to be offered 28 per cent pay rise in bid to avoid more strikesNoel Towell, Kieran Rooney and Bridie SmithApril 28, 2026 — 5:45pmSaveYou have reached your maximum number of saved items.Remove items from your saved list to add more.ShareAAAVictorian teachers will be offered a 28 per cent pay rise over four years by the state government, as it tries to avoid weeks of school strikes planned throughout May and June.The offer, which has not been formally presented to the Australian Education Union (AEU), is a significant advance on the government’s previous position of a 17 per cent increase over four years, but less than the 35 per cent over four years sought by union members.Roughly 35,000 Victorian teachers marched through the Melbourne CBD in March as part of their strike action for better wages.Louis TreriseThe news comes as the school leaders’ union, the Australian Principals Association (APA), also flagged its intention to join industrial action at the state’s 1570 schools, citing lack of progress in the bargaining process.State government sources, not authorised to speak publicly, have confirmed that Education Minister Ben Carroll told cabinet colleagues this week that his department was preparing to offer the 52,000 teachers a revised deal.AdvertisementBut it is unclear how much of the 28 per cent increase would be delivered in each year of the deal,…

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