Teachers walk off the job and onto the steps of parliament, threatening a second strike within weeks

Teachers will strike again within weeks if a better working deal doesn’t come from the state government, its union has warned. Plus, read our strike report from the view of four school students.

Thousands of teachers have walked off the job to join a raucous protest at Parliament House for better pay and conditions.

An estimated 5000 striking Australian Education Union SA members crammed the steps of Parliament House and spilled out onto North Tce in the city.

Many brought their children and held signs calling for more funding and smaller class sizes, and warning they were “at breaking point”.

“Teacher burnout, this is why we have the turnout,” read one sign.

Others targeted the Labor government and Premier Peter Malinauskas.

“We’re skipping lessons to teach you one,” read a sign with Mr Malinauskas’ face on it.

AEU SA branch president Andrew Gohl told the rally that the union was prepared to strike again soon if it did not receive a better offer from the state government.

“We expect an improved and better offer within a couple of weeks,” he said.

“If not … then we will need to think about taking further action.

SA teachers strike at Parliament House in Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Kelly Barnes

“I hope we don’t have to be back here in a couple of weeks but we will be, we will continue taking that action.”

Mr Gohl said union members would continue to put pressure on Mr Malinauskas.

“We will be a pain in his butt until we get an offer that values us,” he said.

“At the moment the gap is so wide.”

Education Minister Blair Boyer later said it was “disappointing” that the AEU had already flagged the possibility of further strikes.

“That concerned me. I don’t think there is any need for that,” Mr Boyer said.

“I hope that now we can continue negotiating positively with the union, as we have been, and we can avoid further strike action like we’ve seen today.”

Mr Boyer said he had been told of “one or two instances” where a child had been dropped unexpectedly at a school that closed because of strike action.

“It sounds so far like that has gone as well as you could expect,” he said.

Mr Boyer agreed that teachers deserved a pay rise and more classroom support but said the AEU’s request for a 20 per cent reduction in teaching time was “not something that we can agree too”.

He urged the union to narrow its ask “to things that can actually realistically be delivered”.

SA Teachers strike at Parliament House Adelaide. Picture: NCA NewsWire/ Kelly Barnes

The AEU SA will hold a branch council meeting on Saturday where Mr Gohl said it was expected to approve a motion that would call for union members working in schools or preschools to leave the campus if a Labor MP came to visit the site.

“Why should politicians get a PR boost out of that,” Mr Gohl said after the rally.

He also confirmed to The Advertiser that he has not nominated to recontest his position in upcoming union elections.

Nominations closed at midday on Friday.

Mr Gohl, who is paid about $180,000, will remain in the role until January, when a new SA branch president will take over.

At the protest Magdy Jagiello, a teacher of 12 years, said she made the trip from Port Pirie to “make a stand”.

“My students are suffering because of the lack of funding,” Ms Jagiello said.

Alicia Dean, who teaches at a southern suburbs public school, brought her 14-month-old son Tariq in a stroller to the rally.

Ms Dean, 35, said the “complexity in the classroom is beyond manageable”.

“Normally I’d be working but it’s important we (including Tariq) do attend protests,” Ms Dean said.

Magdy Jagiello travelled from Port Pirie to rally for more funding for teachers. Picture: Shashi Baltutis

Stress at the school gate

Earlier, a handful of families arrived at Kilkenny Primary School which had closed due to the strike action, but the preschool, on the same site, remained open.

Frank Demaria dropped off his granddaughter Sofia, 4, at the preschool, while her older sister Amelie, 7, will stay at home.

Mr Demaria said he agreed teachers should have “more support in the classrooms because the kids have more one-on-one time, rather than an overcrowded classroom”.

However, he wished the union and government could reach agreement without disruption to children.

“They shouldn’t go on strike to affect the kids I don’t think, but it’s entirely up to them,” he said.

A number of other parents arrived to drop off preschoolers and returned to their cars with older siblings who could not attend class.

Staff members who were not on strike attended the school, spending the day on non-teaching tasks like marking and planning lessons.

Amelie, 7, and sister Sofia, 4, with grandfather Frank at Kilkenny Primary School during Friday’s teacher strike. Picture: Lauren Novak

Schools across Adelaide have closed as part of Friday’s teacher strike. Picture: Lauren Novak

One father who dropped off a preschooler, but did not want to be named, said he’d had to take the day off work to stay home with older children and felt the teachers’ 20 per cent pay rise claim – the amount sought over three years – was too high.

Another mother said she was supportive of the union’s cause.

About 62,500 students are believed to be affected by Friday’s teacher strike across almost 170 schools, which will close for the day.

It comes as tram drivers conducted their own industrial action Friday morning, during peak hour – with more industrial action threatened for next week.

The Education Department revealed on Wednesday that 67 public schools or preschools would close and 152 would offer a modified program.

The remaining 608 sites would be open as normal or already had a planned pupil-free day.

At Torrensville Primary School – one of the sites that has remained open during the teacher strike – parent Melissa Savvas, 33, said she was “extremely relieved” she could drop her son Max, five, who is in reception, at the school.

Ms Savvas, from Underdale, has been undergoing breast cancer treatment and said it was “crucial” that Max attended school.

She said her other son, Harvey, three, was dropped off at childcare.

Ms Savvas said it would have been “really stressful” for her to find alternative care options but she sympathised with teachers.

“It’s a difficult situation for everyone,” Ms Savvas said.

At Torrensville Primary, parents were relieved that the school remained open, during the teachers strike. Picture Dean Martin

Torrensville Primary School principal Yunni Seindanis said it was “business as usual” for the school.

Another parent, Sarah Rhodes, said she was “worried the school would be part of the strike”.

Ms Rhodes, 37, from Underdale, said she was “a little bit relieved” when it was announced that Torrensville would remain open, so her children Zachary, five, in Reception and Isabel, seven, in Year 2, could go to school.

“I would have had to bring the kids to work with me or take the day off,” Ms Rhodes said.

Another parent, Lauren, 41, said it would have been “very challenging” to find care for her two children at the school, Tom, five, who is in Reception and Coralie, nine, in Year 4.

“I can’t not go to work,” Lauren, from Thebarton, said.

“We wouldn’t have been able to get childcare very easily.”

While Lauren said “teachers work really hard and have an important role”, she believed that the strike was “not necessarily the best course of action”.