Major strike looms if teachers get support

FAIR Work Australia has cleared the way for Victorian teachers and school support staff to unite in a major strike

FAIR Work Australia has cleared the way for Victorian teachers and school support staff to unite in a major strike.

The industrial tribunal yesterday allowed the Australian Eduction Union to ballot members who are teachers' aides, IT staff and administrative workers on whether to stop work and join teachers in a protected one-day strike over pay claims.

If the 7000 school support staff take industrial action in conjunction with teachers, who plan to strike in the first week of September, it would be the largest action to hit Victorian schools.

Australian Education Union state president Mary Bluett said Fair Work Australia's decision was historic. "We expect many more schools to be totally closed than for the last strike and certainly in excess of 30,000 stopping work," she said.

The union claims 150 public schools closed during last month's teacher strike, although the government says 207 schools had to dismiss their students for the day.

Premier Ted Baillieu said he was disappointed teachers wanted to take further industrial action.

"We believe there is a very good offer on the table," he said. "I believe all this will do is hurt students and hurt families and won't advance the issue at all."

The enterprise agreement for school support staff expired in April and negotiations to renew it broke down earlier this week.

The union is seeking a 30 per cent pay rise over three years, as well as a new pay structure and fewer short-term contracts.

The government's offer is a 2.5 per cent annual pay increase with further increases delivered through productivity gains.

It has put the same offer to teachers as well as additional bonuses for teachers assessed as in the top 10 per cent, 20 per cent and 40 per cent of their profession, a move opposed by the union.

Ms Bluett said she was confident the forthcoming strike would find support among parents, who again will be forced to make alternative arrangements for their children.

"Parents seem to understand that teachers and principals don't take action lightly," Ms Bluett said.

"We have negotiated in the case of teachers for over nine months, and it's not unreasonable to take the action that we're forced to."

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said teachers were only asking Mr Baillieu to fulfil his pre-election promise to make them the nation's best-paid educators.

"Parents across the system need to understand this is not some greedy claim," he said. "This is teachers asking for not one dollar more and not one dollar less than what the Premier Ted Baillieu promised."

ADDITIONAL REPORTING: AAP