The Australian Education Union has asked Premier Will Hodgman to explain why teachers, support staff and educational leaders will be forced to walk off the job next week.
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It is likely schools will be forced to close as the AEU escalates industrial action by conducting stop work meetings across the state on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff said the Department of Education will assess the impact of the AEU's industrial action on student learning and what actions need to be undertaken to ensure a duty of care to students.
Parents will be information on Friday of these arrangements by their school.
Some schools may chose to make other arrangements in order to stay open prior to this date.
Mr Rockliff said the union action was highly disappointing.
"The union's direction does not represent good faith negotiations and shows a complete disregard for students and their parents," Mr Rockliff said.
The AEU said the government failed to meet a deadline on Monday to respond to a revised offer on the teachers' agreement put forward by the union.
AEU Tasmania state manager Roz Madsen said the government was given until 5pm on Monday to respond to the union's counter-offer in a significant way but unfortunately there was no communication from the government.
"As a result of that, and we were very clear with our counter offer, in the absence of significant improvement in that offer, that we would be significantly escalating industrial action," Ms Madsen said.
Labor education spokesman Josh Willie has criticised the government's failure to conclude wage negotiations leading to further disruptions in schools.
"Teachers do not take this action lightly, and, if anything, they would prefer to avoid it," Mr Willie said.
"Now that Minister Rockliff has refused to take part in negotiations and forced teachers' hands, he needs to rule out taking the lead of his colleague Health Minister Michael Ferguson who has taken the extraordinary step of docking nurse's pay."
Nurses who held a stop-work meeting at the Mersey Community Hospital last week have been told their pay will be docked.
Health and Community Services Union assistant secretary Robbie Moore said nurses had received an email telling them their they would not paid for the time they were not working.
"It's an attack on workers and they are considering their options," Mr Moore said.
The nurses stopped work for two hours and the email said they would not be paid for 1.5 hours.
Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the government has the option of docking teachers' pay when they walk off the job.
"Most Tasmanians would recognise that we expect people to turn up to their jobs to get their pay," Mr Gutwein said.
"If they walk off the job, and are not doing the role they are employed to do, obviously they won't be paid."
Mr Gutwein asked the unions to desist from further industrial action while negotiations are underway.
The next meeting between the Premier and the Treasurer and union representatives to discuss new public sector wage agreements is scheduled for Friday.
Ms Madsen said the AEU will be joining other public sector workers for stop work action across the state on April 2 and 3.
"That will mean that schools will need to close again for AEU members, so teachers, principals, support staff and TAFE members as well, to participate in that action."
Ms Madsen said there are three major meetings that will occur next week: on Tuesday, April 2 in Burnie at 2.30pm and on Wednesday, April 3 in Launceston at 9.30am and in Hobart at 2.30pm.
As the AEU has more than 85 per cent membership density in schools, the union said the action is expected to result in the closing of schools in:
- The North-West: schools will close early in the afternoon on Tuesday, April 2
- The North: schools will open late on Wednesday, April 3
- The South: schools will close early on Wednesday, April 3
"Over the next couple of days (schools) will be discussing with their staff and the parent community about what time they will need to be shutting the schools to allow AEU members to participate," Ms Madsen said.
"We expect most schools will be shut because AEU membership is significant in density.
"It is an inconvenience, and our members are aware of the inconvenience of the parent community."
Ms Madsen said it has been very disappointing was the critical issue to AEU members, being workload problems, was not addressed in the latest government offer.
"There is no understanding by the government about how to address the workload issue," Ms Madsen said.
The latest state government agreement, which offered wage increases of 2 per cent in the first year, 2.25 per cent and 2.5 per cent in the third year, was overwhelmingly rejected by the union.
The revised wages offer was made on the condition a variety of savings efficiencies are met.
"There are 150 workplaces, 150 schools, and 100 per cent of those rejected the offer by the government," Ms Madsen said.
"Despite seven months of negotiation, the Hodgman government has failed to to even put a formal offer to teachers in TAFE."
The union's counter-offer included a 3 per cent wage increase over two years and initiatives to boost in-class support for teachers and caps on class sizes.