Settle or strike, 800 teachers out

MORE than 800 Gladstone teachers will be affected by next Tuesday's strike if the State Government and the Queensland Teachers Union are unable to negotiate a settlement.

The QTU has called a 24-hour strike next Tuesday after rejecting the government's 12.5 per cent pay rise offer.

Yesterday Central Queensland QTU organiser Barry Thompson said the union was trying to negotiate a new enterprise-bargaining agreement to bring the state's teachers in line with their colleagues in other states.

“We're still negotiating with the government, but at this stage the strike will go ahead,” Mr Thompson said.

“Our teachers are the lowest paid of all states.”

He said the offer would still leave the teachers' pays behind the other states. The government's offer, made on May 8 - a week after the expiry date of the former EBA - is for a 4.5 per cent pay increase in the first year, followed by four per cent in each of the two subsequent years.

Mr Thompson said a senior Queensland teacher currently earning $71,993 would receive $81,370 as compared with a colleague in West Australia who would be on $88,190 by October 2010.

New teachers in Queensland currently receive $48,829. By the end of the third year they will be earning $55,189.

“But a new teacher in West Australia currently earns $53,098 - at the end of three years that teacher will earn $56,122 and will receive a one-off starting teachers' allowance of $1600 as well,” Mr Thompson said.