Teachers asked to vote on state’s ‘best and final’ offer

State school teachers have been offered a new pay deal, with the Queensland government saying it will escalate the dispute to arbitration in the Industrial Relations Commission if it is not accepted by the end of the week.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said the government’s final offer included significant additions, but it was holding firm on increasing base wages by 8 per cent over three years.

“The wage offer is one that’s been made to all the other unions and which has been accepted by all the others, so I’d be confident that with the extra things we’ve added [teachers will accept it],” Langbroek said.

He said the offer included attraction and retention incentives – similar to those in the offer that had already been rejected – options to cash out leave, and a review of existing schemes.

The minister said the deal would also address workplace violence faced by teachers with a “safety task force that will include all the stakeholders” and new occupational strategy conditions.

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The Queensland Teachers’ Union has asked its members to vote on the deal by the end of the week, saying it was an improvement on the offer made in June. If accepted, the state would backpay teachers from October 1.

The union called on the government to provide a more detailed timeframe of when the incentives laid out in the offer would come into effect.

If the dispute enters arbitration, the Industrial Relations Commission will hear the matter, which was expected to continue into the new year.