Australian Education Union SA branch announces result of vote on strike action for September 1

Public school teachers have voted to strike, leaving parents scrambling to make last-minute arrangements for students who cannot go to class.

Public school teachers will go out on strike next Friday, leaving parents scrambling to make last-minute arrangements for students who cannot go to class.

The teachers union revealed late on Friday that its members have voted to strike on September 1 to put pressure on the state government in increasingly tense negotiations over pay and conditions.

Strike chaos could affect more than 172,600 public school students at 893 preschool, primary and secondary campuses.

Schools may have to shut for the day or operate with limited programs, depending on how many educators decide not to show up for work.

Australian Education Union SA branch president Andrew Gohl has acknowledged the strike will be “inconvenient” for parents but argued the action is intended to improve education for their children in the long run.

“The result of this ballot shows we are not willing to accept an offer which would see the current crisis in public education continue,” he said.

Daniel Shilton, with his sons Flynn, 9, and Harvey, 7, is worried about making alternative arrangements. Picture: Emma Brasier

Father Daniel Shilton is among thousands of parents now worried about making alternative arrangements if their child’s school is closed next Friday.

Mr Shilton’s sons Flynn, nine, and Harvey, seven, attend Edwardstown Primary School and Harvey has Down syndrome and autism.

“I’d have to find someone else to look after Harvey and the person looking after him has to have knowledge of (his needs),” said Mr Shilton.

The 44-year-old said the decision to strike would impact his business and the people he works with as an NDIS support co-ordinator.

“On the day of the strike, if I’m taking someone to the doctor I can’t not do that,” he said.

While he was worried about the inconvenience, Mr Shilton, of Melrose Park, said he sympathised with educators.

“I hope that the teachers get the funding that they require and they come to a resolution,” he said.

Australian Education Union SA branch president Andrew Gohl has announced the result of a teacher vote on whether to strike on September 1. Picture: LinkedIn

The AEU is seeking pay increases for public educators of between 5.5 and 8.6 per cent per year until 2026 and more than $1bn in extra classroom support to ease workload pressures and manage children with complex needs.

It also wants a 20 per cent drop in face-to-face teaching time.

However, government negotiators have told the union to narrow its scope and present a more realistic log of claims.

A government spokeswoman said it was “disappointed the teachers’ union has rushed to strike action” but promised the Education Department would provide support to “to ensure that no child is turned away” on the day of the strike.

“Schools and preschools 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,” she 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 spokeswoman said the AEU was “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”.

She said Industrial Relations Minister Kyam Maher and Education Minister Blair Boyer will meet with the AEU for further negotiations next week and “remain committed to reaching an agreement with the AEU as soon as possible”.

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner said a strike was “the worst possible outcome for students and families”.

“This situation has deteriorated to the point that our children are the ultimate losers and that is unacceptable,” Mr Gardner said.

Opposition education spokesman John Gardner. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Kelly Barnes

Education Minister Blair Boyer has previously said he and the Education Department are “acutely aware of the increased complexity of classrooms and issues of workload, and we are committed to addressing them in this enterprise agreement”.

Outside of these negotiations, the government has already committed $50m for 100 additional mental health and learning support staff and $28m for autism inclusion teachers.

The AEU first flagged possible strike action on August 16, and opened voting among its 12,000-plus members two days later.

The ballot closed at 5pm on Friday August 25, when Mr Gohl announced the result.

An overwhelming 80 per cent of the teachers union members who took part in the vote agreed to go ahead with the full-day strike.

The union says educators are leaving the sector because they are being inundated with paperwork and administrative tasks, much of which is being completed out of paid hours.

A UniSA survey of 1600 SA teachers, commissioned by the AEU, found the number who said they felt stressed had doubled since 2018 and most were dissatisfied with their salaries.

The last round of negotiations between the AEU and government ran for two years – between early 2018 and 2020 – and teachers took industrial action including strikes at hundreds of schools.

In November 2018 more than 1000 teachers walked off the job.

In 2020, 250 campuses closed for protests at Parliament House that July and more than 50 public schools and preschools closed an hour early that September.

The parties eventually settled on a 2.35 per cent pay rise for teachers and 3.35 per cent for principals and preschool directors.

A rally on the steps of Parliament House is planned for 11am on the day of the strike.