Talks resume after 50k teachers strike over pay, workload and conditions
The Queensland Teachers' Union (QTU) and the state government will meet on Thursday ahead of formal conciliation proceedings after months of stalled negotiations and two rejected pay offers.
QTU president Cresta Richardson, who led a 4000-strong march on parliament during Wednesday's strike, has not ruled out further industrial action. The union is calling on Premier David Crisafulli to personally intervene.
'Premier, we want to talk to you,' Ms Richardson said.
'We're not going to take that 8 per cent. It's insufficient for us to be among the highest-paid teachers in the country.'
Queensland Council of Unions general secretary Jacqueline King criticised the government's decision to provide additional incentives to police but not to other frontline workers.
'To have something that significant put to police not put on the table for nurses, teachers and other workers is indefensible,' she said.
'It shows a lack of respect.'
Theme parks and play centres across South East Queensland reported a surge in visitors on Wednesday, as thousands of families sought alternative activities during the historic teacher strike.
The Queensland Teachers' Union had encouraged parents to keep their children home, leading to venues like Movie World, Sea World, and various indoor play centres to roster on extra staff in anticipation of higher demand.
The union argues that Queensland teachers risk falling behind their interstate counterparts as other agreements come up for renewal.
Ms Richardson said while Queensland wages sat in the middle nationally, other states might soon leapfrog them unless improvements were made.
Concerns have also been raised around teacher workloads, classroom behaviour, and occupational violence, issues Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek acknowledged in a media conference on Thursday morning.
'It's of great concern to me that anyone has to be putting up with occupational violence,' Mr Langbroek said.
'We have a zero tolerance for violence in our schools … teachers are not going to be punching bags.'
He said a new workforce strategy, currently in development, would include a specific focus on occupational violence, with further details to be released in the coming weeks.
Mr Langbroek also reaffirmed the government's confidence in reaching an agreement through the Industrial Relations Commission, highlighting parts of the existing offer that remain on the table.
'One of the conditions that we've made for an experienced senior teacher would see them at $134,000 right now under the offer that we've made to teachers,' he said.
He noted that additional incentives, such as relocation allowances and regional bonuses, could boost starting teacher salaries by more than $10,000 in some areas.
'There is a clause in there that if inflation were to go up more, then there's an add-on that would happen under the agreement that we've offered,' Mr Langbroek added.
The government's second offer included other improvements, such as a new overnight camp allowance, a $400 starting bonus for new teachers, and an extra pupil-free day.
While the union rejected the offer as a whole, individual components remain open to discussion.
As conciliation begins, broader questions around school infrastructure have also re-emerged. Mr Langbroek referenced a previously unreleased 2022 report, commissioned by the former Labor government, which assessed the condition of state school assets across Queensland.
According to the government, the 'comprehensive review of infrastructure renewal' report found that more than 33 per cent of school assets were rated as poor or very poor, with an estimated repair bill of $441m.
The review involved on-site inspections of schools across the state, identifying structural issues including leaking roofs, damaged retaining walls, and rusted gutters.
The summary, which excludes schools built after December 2017 and buildings constructed after October 2021 as they are too new to require renewal, found that 1.5 per cent of school assets were rated as very poor, 32.2 per cent as poor, 37 per cent as fair, 29.2 per cent as good, and just 0.1 per cent as very good.
The government claims the report showed maintenance funding had been diverted to other projects such as new halls and arts facilities.
Mr Langbroek said the government was working to address both the immediate concerns of teachers and broader systemic issues.
'We're trying to deal with a lot of issues … behaviour, bullying, red tape, and then deal with this infrastructure issue as well,' he said.
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ABC News
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Daily Telegraph
an hour ago
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