Napthine shelves performance pay

Premier Denis Napthine in Parliament. Picture: Ian Currie Source: Herald Sun

NEW Premier Denis Napthine has made a major backdown in the government's war with teachers, declaring performance pay is "off the table".

Dr Napthine made the comment in parliament this afternoon.

The government's insistence that a new performance system be introduced as part of the teachers' new pay deal was a key stumbling block stopping movement on negotiations.

Performance pay will now be de-linked from negotiations over teacher salaries in a bid to end the stalemate.

Australian Education Union Victorian president Meredith Peace said the decision was a "small but positive step'' but warned: "This doesn't resolve the dispute.

"There are a number of outstanding issues ... salaries is one of those, workload, class sizes, the high level of contract employment.

Teachers and support staff take to the streets in Melbourne to protest in November. Picture: Darren Tindale

"We haven't got a resolution to this dispute. We will stop campaigning when we get an agreement with the government.

"We will continue to campaign until this government is prepared to reward teachers, principals and support staff for the work that they do in our public schools."

Ms Peace did concede however that it showed "the new premier is prepared to listen".

Dr Napthine told Parliament the government still wanted to bring in the controversial system, but it would not be tied to the Enterprise Bargaining Agreement being thrashed out.

He said the government was serious about breaking the stalemate.

"The Government can announce today it had decided to take discussions on performance pay off the table," he said.

The Australian Education Union in November reduced its pay claim to 12.6 per cent over three years; the government offered 2.5 per cent a year plus performance pay.

It had claimed the top 70 per cent of teachers would receive a performance bonus of up to 10 per cent.

"We actually now need to see what they are prepared to offer," Ms Peace said.

Former premier Ted Baillieu promised, before the coalition won government, to make Victoria's teachers the best paid in Australia.

Opposition Leader Daniel Andrews said Dr Napthine should become personally involved in negotiations rather than grand stand in parliament.

"Instead of these faux concessions, the mock drama on the floor of the parliament, Mr Napthine should get in a room and get a deal done," he said.

- with AAP

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