Following a historic stop work last week, TAFE teachers are set to escalate a 24-hour statewide action on 21 August. Their union, the AEU, has said that after more than two years of negotiations the state government and TAFE employers have failed to put a fair and reasonable offer for improved pay and conditions on the table.
Central to the dispute is addressing psychosocial health and safety concerns, with the Victorian State of our TAFEs report showing that 71 per cent of TAFE teachers considered leaving their job last year citing concerns about unsustainable workloads, high stress, poor TAFE funding and inadequate pay.
The State of our TAFEs report is based on a survey of 490 Victorian TAFE teachers and shows that:
- 40 per cent of teachers expect to cease working as a TAFE teacher by 2029, just five years away, and 71 per cent of teachers considered leaving TAFE during 2023.
- 71 per cent of those who say they have considered leaving in the last 12 months cited improved pay would encourage them to stay, along with 62 per cent reporting reduced administrative duties would allow them to focus on class preparation and teaching students.
- 79 per cent identified a shortage of teachers in their department, with the reasons for the shortage including pay and conditions available in industry, excessive workloads, stress, and poor funding for TAFEs.
- 53 per cent of teachers report class sizes have increased over the past two years, with 54 per cent saying class sizes present an OHS risk.
AEU Victorian Branch President Meredith Peace said these figures show that teachers and students are bearing the brunt of the critical issues impacting Victorian TAFEs.
Read more: AEU Media Release