TAFE workers strike in Bendigo, Warrnambool and Wodonga in statewide action

It is the first statewide stop work action by TAFE workers since 2008, hitting regional campuses in Bendigo, Warrnambool, Wodonga, Geelong, Shepparton, Wangaratta and Traralgon, as well as across Melbourne.

The Australian Education Union (AEU) said TAFE workers had fallen well behind school teachers for pay and conditions. By July 1 the average TAFE teacher will earn $7742 - more than 7 per cent - less than a colleague in the school system.

AEU Victorian Branch President Meredith Peace said despite the pay gap the government had stopped negotiating.

"We have been at the negotiating table for two years trying to get a pay and conditions deal that addresses these concerns, but the Allan Labor government has failed to provide a decent offer," Ms Peace said.

"The Victorian Labor party came to power in this state nearly 10 years ago promising to save TAFE. Instead, our TAFEs have been the lowest funded in the country for nine of the last 10 years, and we have a shortage of TAFE teachers that will only get worse unless real action is taken."

The state government said negotiations were ongoing and the AEU had left the negotiating table.

A newly-released State of our TAFEs report showed seven in 10 TAFE teachers had considered quitting in 2023 and 45 per cent expected to leave the industry within five years.

The report, based on a survey of nearly 500 workers, showed pay and conditions were the problem.

More than 70 per cent of workers said better pay would encourage them to stay, with 60 per cent citing excessive administrative work as a key issue.

The TAFE sector is critically short of staff, with eight in 10 workers saying there weren't enough teachers in their department, with poor pay and excessive workloads the main reasons for the shortage.

The AEU forecast more than 2700 extra workers would be needed in the next 18 months.

Surveyed workers said the lack of staff had added further to workloads, with the majority saying their personal workload had increased and they had been forced to work unpaid hours.

"We have one unit where three classes are joined together with a casual teacher employed one day a week," one worker said.

Nearly six in 10 teachers said they had personally had hours shaved off courses they taught, with fewer hours to deliver content to their students.

Local union members at regional TAFEs said Victoria had no chance of fixing its skills shortage without solving the teacher shortage.

Bendigo TAFE AEU sub-branch rep Ian Grinter said the pay issue was an issue for current workers, but an even bigger problem for attracting new teachers.

"We need to attract people out of industry, people who have the ability to pass on their skills and knowledge," Mr Grinter said.

"That's only going to be fixed by the government investing money in paying teachers properly and putting limits around workloads."

Mr Grinter said the state already faced a lack of nurses, trades and aged care workers.

"This skills shortage can't be fixed unless you fix the teaching situation," he said.

"We need teacher numbers going up, whereas at the moment we are haemorrhaging staff."

The AEU and state government have been negotiating a new deal since 2022 and each side blamed the other on Wednesday for the bargaining breakdown.

The union rejected the government's three per cent pay rise offer as "insulting", with 97 per cent of members voting to strike.

"There are serious problems with the underfunding of Victoria's TAFEs, with the impacts being felt by teachers and students," Ms Peace said.

"The Allan Labor Government must put a decent pay and conditions offer for TAFE teachers on the table, to not only benefit teachers, but for the students and business that rely on them."

A government spokesperson said billions had been invested in the sector, while its "free TAFE" initiative had brought in thousands of new students.

"The Allan Labor Government has invested more than $4.5 billion in TAFE since 2014 - including adding to the Free TAFE list the teaching qualification Certificate IV in teaching and assessment, which has seen a 57 percent increase in government subsidised commencements," the spokesperson said.

"We respect the right of TAFE teachers to take industrial action and encourage the union to return to the table with the Victorian TAFE Association so disruptions to students are minimised.

"We continue to invest in TAFEs and teachers, and we are working with TAFEs across the state to make sure all Victorians get the training and skills they need for the jobs they want."

The AEU said if the government continued to stonewall there would be further stop work actions in July and an almost unprecedented 24-hour strike in August.