Parents are being urged to keep their children at home next Wednesday, August 6, as public school teachers prepare for a significant strike over pay and working conditions.

The walkout is set to become one of the largest education strikes in Queensland in more than a decade.

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The Queensland Teachers’ Union (QTU) has confirmed more than 80 per cent of its members voted in a recent strike ballot, with a staggering 96 per cent supporting industrial action over stalled enterprise bargaining negotiations.

“This Is the first time in 16 years that we have been driven to such lengths,” QTU president Cresta Richardson said.

“We do not do this lightly. We have been left with no choice, because education in this state is at breaking point.

“It’s a really long time since we’ve done this but enough is enough.

“Our teachers and school leaders are suffering from workload pressures, occupational violence, and not feeling respected in their workplaces.”

At the heart of the dispute is the Queensland Government’s 8 per cent pay rise offer, which Richardson said falls short of maintaining Queensland’s position as having nation-leading salaries.

“At 8 per cent, we would be significantly behind the other states straight away,” she warned.

Parents should expect schools to remain open next Wednesday, but with limited supervision and no formal lessons on strike day.

“There’ll be supervision provided at school but it won’t be a curriculum-based day for those students,” Richardson confirmed.

Parents are encouraged to make alternative arrangements where possible, meaning the families of nearly 600,000 students will need to find emergency childcare.

The union said the strike is essential to secure better pay and working conditions so classrooms can be fully staffed and students receive the education they deserve.

“We want the best conditions and best-paid teachers in the country,” Richardson said.

A message to parents

The union is appealing directly to parents, urging them to back the action in solidarity.

“To the parents we say — come on board and support us,” Richardson said.

“This affects your children as well.

“We want the best conditions and best-paid teachers in the country so we can fully staff our classrooms and give kids the outcomes they deserve.”

Many parents and teachers have shared their views on the strike, with strong support for the action.

“If we can’t get a big pay deal when there’s such a shortage, we’ll never get one,” one teacher commented on Facebook.

A parent said: “Our educators have the most important roles in the formative years in our children’s lives. We love, support, and appreciate you all.”

Others expressed frustration over teachers’ working conditions, with comments such as: “People need to walk a day in teachers’ shoes and see what they really deal with these days.”

However, some parents questioned the QTU’s request to keep children at home, suggesting sending them to school could actually add pressure on the government to act.

“But if you want them home, my son will be home,” one parent wrote.

Negotiations with the government continue but Richardson said a deal before next week is unlikely.

She warned further industrial action could follow if an agreement is not reached.

“Hopefully one strike is all that’s required, but there is certainly potential for other action.”

Parents should check with individual schools and school-based out of school hours care to confirm how they will operate on the day of the strike and whether student absence will affect their attendance record.