Teacher praises salary increase

By Kelly Yates
A HALLAM teacher has praised salary rises for Victorian teachers.
Casey teachers will join other Victorian teachers in becoming the highest paid in the nation under a new pay deal reached on 5 May by the State Government and the Australian Education Union.
Eumemmerring Secondary College teacher Dean Glare said the agreement was a good outcome for Victorian teachers.
“We should be rewarded the same as any other state. We all do exactly the same job,” he said.
Mr Glare said the last pay rise Victorian teachers received was back in October 2006.
Australian Education Union Victorian branch president Mary Bluett said the in-principle agreement was a significant win for teachers, principals and school communities across the state.
The outcome follows an 18 month battle and includes significant salary increases and improvements to the contract system of employment.
“Victorian teachers at the top of the scale will become the highest paid teachers in Australia at $75,500. Graduate teacher salaries will also be the highest at $51,184,” she said.
Being a teacher for over 19 years, Mr Glare has attended all of the city rallies and was one of 500 teachers at a local rally at the Endeavour Hills shopping centre in March.
He said the agreement was a step in the right direction but there was still a long way to go until teachers were back on the level where they should be.
But Mr Glare agreed that there was still a shortage of teachers and the problem would only get worse.
“The problem is only going to get bigger. Many teachers are ready to retire and we need a massive influx into the teaching industry,” he said.
“By increasing the graduate wage we will be attracting graduates into teaching.”
Ms Bluett said the focus throughout the negotiation period has been to deliver an outcome to attract quality teachers to the profession and to retain teachers in Victorian public schools.
She said the Australian Education Union was pleased with the framework of the agreement.
“We are confident that it will play a significant role in addressing state wide teacher shortages and provide an incentive for senior teachers to stay in the classroom,” she said.
The agreement included significant salary increases and a one off bonus of $1000 for most teachers and $2000 for principals.
The three year agreement will be effective from 11 May, subject to ratification by the Australian Education Union members and then a ballot of the Victorian Teaching Service.