The teachers’ union in Victoria is using a 35 per cent wage claim to launch a major recruitment drive to bolster its negotiations with the cash-strapped Allan government and try to recover a plunge in membership that followed a below-inflation pay rise last time around.

The Australian Education Union revealed demands on Tuesday for pay rises of 35 per cent over three years, smaller classroom sizes, flexible working arrangements and reduced workloads for Victoria’s 52,000 public school teachers, principals and support staff.