mmg.com.au

The Victorian Government decision to scrap performance pay in negotiations with education staff has instilled hope in Echuca College teacher Courtney Peters.

Victorian Premier Denis Napthine made the annoucement on Tuesday.

Miss Peters, an Australian Education Union branch council member, said the gesture meant teachers could move forward with negotiations.

‘‘I think it’s great progress because it means we can move somewhere with our agreement and have it resolved really quickly, because the union were never going to make an agreement with performance pay,’’ Miss Peters said.

She said she hoped teachers could get back to teaching and not worry about the negotiations.

Miss Peters said performance pay would base individual teacher classroom results on eligibility for additional money.

She said it was a ‘‘divisive system’’ which would create competitiveness among teachers and could lead to teachers not sharing material with others.

The most recent AEU strike was last month, with teachers from around the district walking off the job, causing some schools to close and others to run with reduced classes.

Miss Peters said dates for further strikes had not yet been set in stone.

Negotiations are continuing between the AEU and the Victorian Government.