Incensed Victorian TAFE teachers are threatening to target Victorian Labor ministers and MPs in marginal seats as their pay dispute turns ugly.
The Labor-aligned Australian Education Union has been trying to negotiate a new enterprise agreement for TAFE teachers for more than two years without success.
Following statewide classroom walkouts in June and July, unionised TAFE teachers went on strike for 24 hours on Wednesday.
TAFE teachers in the state last stopped work for 24 hours in 2012 to protest cuts, having previously gone out in 2008 as part of protected strike action.
Several hundred members marched on Victorian parliament on Wednesday after an earlier meeting where they voted to take further action if the offer was not improved.
"They are angry," the union's Victorian branch president Meredith Peace told reporters.
"The offer on the table has effectively not changed in those more than two years."
Ms Peace said the teachers had been offered a three per cent pay rise, in line with Victoria's public sector wages cap, but were asked to increase their workloads in return.
She did not specify what wage increase the union was seeking.
The union's deputy state president Justin Mullaly said further action would include more 24-hour strikes and targeting Labor ministers and marginal seat MPs.
"We're going to make sure that they keenly understand what's at stake here," he told the crowd.
The union is negotiating with the Victorian TAFE Association but the state government funds enterprise agreements.
Premier Jacinta Allan would not be drawn on whether the dispute had gone on for too long and if it was time for the government to intervene.
"The best place to get these enterprise agreements resolved is at the negotiating table," she said.
"We remain at the negotiating table to strike an outcome that supports our TAFE teachers."
Victorian government agencies remained locked in long-running pay disputes with paramedics, police, firefighters and V/Line staff.
"That's not an excuse for the Allan Labor government to ignore this issue," Ms Peace said.
"TAFE is too important."
Opposition Leader John Pesutto said the government had a responsibility to bring industrial disputes to a close quickly so Victorians could access services without disruption.
A recent report by the Victorian auditor-general showed the TAFE sector would have posted a $35 million deficit if not for government grants in 2023.
