South Australia’s teacher dispute finally resolved as new enterprise agreement endorsed

The state’s long-running teacher dispute has been resolved at last, with a new enterprise agreement overwhelmingly endorsed. See what the deal entails.

• Sept 2019: Teachers walk off the job early
• October 2018: Why teachers in dispute
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The state’s public teaching workforce has overwhelmingly endorsed a new enterprise agreement, putting an end to a long and bitter dispute.

A statewide ballot of 25,000 staff resulted in 78 per cent approval for the deal, which delivers pay rises of 2.35 per cent for teachers and 3.35 per cent for principals and preschool directors.

There are extra incentives for teachers to work in country schools, reduced face-to-face teaching time for principals in small schools, and an extra $15 million a year to help schools cope with growing numbers of children with special needs.

Each school will receive amounts from $29,500 to $159,000 a year in the extra funds.

Teachers take part in a rally outside SA’s Parliament House in July 2019. Picture: AAP/Mike Burton

“This agreement supports our ambition to be the nation’s leader in education by building and retaining an expert teaching workforce,” Treasurer Rob Lucas said.

“This result should also send a strong signal to other public sector unions that taxpayers simply cannot afford anything more than reasonable salary increases.”

The agreement runs until 2022-23.

The Government will take it to the SA Employment Tribunal to be formalised.

Australian Education Union members took actions including strikes that shut down hundreds of schools, or forced them to operate with limited programs.

Teachers rally outside the office of Premier Steven Marshall in Norwood, in September 2019. Picture: AAP Image/David Mariuz

Other actions included not writing comments on student report cards and holding Christmas concerts in the daytime.

Negotiations over conditions and salary levels began in May 2018.

The issue reached a boiling point in November 2018 when more than 1000 teachers walked off the job.

In July last year, protesters gathered outside Parliament House with more than 250 schools and preschools closing.

And in September, more than 50 public schools and preschools closed an hour early as rolling teacher strikes took place.