Western Australia’s teachers are set to strike next week over an ongoing pay dispute.

WA’s public school teachers are gearing up for a half-day strike next Tuesday, following the State School Teachers' Union of WA's (SSTUWA) rejection of the state government's latest pay offer. 

The union has been negotiating for a 12 per cent pay increase over two years, advocating for 7 per cent in the first year followed by 5 per cent in the second. 

In contrast, the government has proposed an 11 per cent increase spread over three years, beginning with a 5 per cent rise in the first year and 3 per cent in the subsequent two.

According to SSTUWA President Matt Jarman, the issue extends beyond pay to include working conditions and workloads. 

“We have extraordinary pressures on teachers and school leaders, and they are spending an enormous amount of their life at work,” Jarman says. 

The union said the government's offer was perceived as somewhat insulting by the members, especially given that teachers had faced a four-year wage freeze amid rising living costs.

The strike, planned for April 23, is expected to see substantial participation from teachers across the state. 

“Our website crashed on Friday when we released information about the stop-work action; we had 400 members a minute trying to access that information,” Jarman noted.

WA Education Minister Tony Buti has expressed hope that a resolution could be reached before the scheduled strike. 

“I hope it will be averted. We continue to bargain in good faith,” Buti said.

He said the state is making preparations to mitigate the impact on students and parents should the strike proceed.

This industrial action coincides with the rollout of the state government's cost-of-living relief package, providing one-off payments to families with school-aged children - $250 for secondary students and $150 for primary and kindergarten students. 

While the union has welcomed this initiative, it continues to urge the government to allocate more resources to public education.