Queensland teachers preparing to strike over pay negotiations, nurses angered by 'swift' police pay deal
A spokesperson for the Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) said the strike action was voted on during a two-week ballot as a last-ditch attempt to seal a "fair" pay deal.
It would be the first time teachers have undertaken strike action since 2009.
Negotiations over a new Enterprise Bargaining Agreement (EBA) for the state's teachers were referred to the Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) for conciliation by the government on Monday when no deal could be reached.
"The QTU looks forward to presenting its claim before the commission and urges all community members to support resourcing and funding state schools appropriately," the union spokesperson said.
The strike will affect roughly 570,000 students at state primary and high schools.
The union has urged parents to keep their children at home on Wednesday, but said no child would be left unsupervised if they had to attend school.
No official curriculum will be taught that day.
Hundreds of teachers rallied outside Queensland's parliament in Brisbane after school hours on state budget day last month, calling for better pay and conditions.
The union has rejected a pay offer from the Department of Education which would have delivered teachers a 3 per cent pay rise next financial year, and a 2.5 per cent increase in 2026 and 2027.
The union had been seeking an extra student-free day as well as "nation-leading salaries and conditions".
Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the government had met with the teachers' union 17 times over the past five months and it remained committed to finalising an agreement.
Of the strike, he said "student safety will remain the priority" and school principals would have more information to provide parents.
News of the strike comes as Queensland Nurses and Midwives' Union (QNMU) hit out at the government's "swift EB agreement" with the Queensland Police Service (QPS).
The state government announced on Tuesday it had reached an in-principle agreement with QPS which would give officers a minimum pay rise of 3 per cent from July 1 this year, followed by a 2.5 per cent hike in 2026 and 2027.
An $8,000 retention bonus was also agreed on.
QNMU Secretary Sarah Beaman said it was impossible to ignore the differences in the way Queensland police and Queensland's predominantly-female frontline nurses and midwives had been treated.
She said union members were angry with the government, accusing it of prioritising an agreement with the "male-dominated" service, while not going as far as calling the government sexist.
"It's actually quite outrageous that nurses and midwives have been fighting for months and months to defend even the conditions we currently have in our agreement when the government is quick to do a better deal with the police.
"What are we missing here? Is it because we are predominantly women? Is it because our workforce is larger? Either way, there's no good excuse for nurses and midwives to be disadvantaged.
Ms Beaman said the union did not begrudge police officers for getting a pay deal, but said the government coming to such a fast agreement with the police would further "fuel" anger amongst nurses.
"I am at a loss as well because this is a government that told us they did not want a fight," she said.
"For a government that did not want a fight, they certainly picked one".
She said the union had "wrangled for six long, long months" to secure double time on overtime, but police had seemingly easily "secured this for all staff, shift workers or not".
"We are not being difficult, nor are we asking for anything excessive," Ms Beaman said.
In a statement, Health Minister Tim Nicholls said the government "remain[ed] at the table to finalise an agreement" with the QNMU, adding Queensland offered "nation-leading wages".
"Positive steps forward have been achieved through conciliation with the Queensland Industrial Relations Commission, and the latest meeting was held [on Tuesday]," he said.
A new pay agreement for nurses has also been sent to the IRC, while a new agreement with firefighters also needs to be brokered.
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