June 19, 2026 — 9:27amTeachers, principals and other educators in Victoria’s government schools have rejected the state Labor government’s 28 per cent pay rise offer, setting the scene for more industrial clashes in the lead-up to the state election.The Australian Education Union (AEU) confirmed on Friday morning that a ballot of its membership, believed to be about 60,000, voted by a margin of 57.7 per cent to 42.3 per cent to reject the draft proposal, agreed between the state government and the union’s leadership last month.The vote comes after a bitterly contested internal campaign within the union, with a well-organised “no” camp urging union members to reject the deal they had been offered, arguing that 28 per cent over four years fell well short of their headline demand of 35 per cent over three years.Those opposed to the deal on offer say the teachers should capitalise on the momentum generated by the mass walk-off in March, when 35,000 educators thronged the streets of Melbourne, and take more industrial action in pursuit of a better deal.The union told members on Friday morning that the majority had decided that the government’s offer was not good enough.“It is clear that despite the improvements to the state government’s March offer, the majority of members hold the view that the government’s May offer has not gone far enough to address their concerns,” the union’s state branch president Justin Mullaly told members.“This is the message that the union will strongly convey to the state government.”The union’s governing branch council, which endorsed the proposed deal and urged members to vote in favour of the proposal, will meet on Friday to discuss the next steps.More to comeMore:School fundingAustralian Council of Trade Unions For subscribersFrom our partners