'Burnt-out' NT teachers take pay offer

The Northern Territory's "burnt-out" teachers have voted to accept a pay offer from the government after months of negotiations and industrial action.

They will receive a three per cent wage rise, their first since the NT's Labor government implemented its failed four-year pay freeze for public servants.

"This comes as welcome relief for burnt-out teachers at the end of the year," Australian Education Union NT president Michelle Ayres said on Tuesday.

"Teachers can head off on holidays knowing they are finally about to receive their first pay rise in nearly eighteen months and full back pay."

Ms Ayres said teachers were struggling with the rising cost of living and workloads and deserved more in the deal. 

"The three per cent figure put forth by the government does not come close to the current crushing levels of (inflation)," she said.

"More needs to be done to relieve the overwhelming workload pressures our teachers are under."

Opposition education spokeswoman Jo Hersey said she was relieved a pay deal had been agreed on after "six months of failed negotiations".

"But the question still remains how many teachers made the decision to leave over the term three holidays, and will not be in the territory into 2024," she said.

"This has been a long and arduous journey for our teachers and they deserve much better than the treatment they've endured from this Labor government."

Ms Hersey called on the NT government to tell voters how it would pay for the additional wages.

Hundreds of teachers, nurses and other public servants walked off the job and protested in November over the government's previous two per cent pay rise offer.

The unpopular pay offer was made in October after the NT government backflipped on its four-year pay freeze wages policy.

The pay freeze was introduced in November 2020 in a bid to save more than $400 million amid ongoing territory government deficits and climbing debt.

It was accepted by 57 per cent of employees but became increasingly unpopular as unions attempted to negotiate wage packages without success for their members, leading to multiple protests and industrial action over the past six months.

The union said it would campaign to alleviate workload pressures and see an overhaul of education funding in 2023.

The NT government has been contacted for comment.