Tasmania's public sector teachers have rejected a state government pay offer on the eve of two days of industrial action that will force some schools to close early.
The Australian Education Union's Tasmania branch on Monday rejected the Liberal government's pay offer of seven per cent over three years.
"Teachers are not willing to lock-in three years of under-funding and under-resourcing for our kids," branch president Helen Richardson said.
The AEU wants a pay rise of three per cent per year.
Before the union announced its decision, the state government on Monday accused the AEU of not acting in good faith over the planned strikes.
"For AEU bosses to hold a meeting at 4pm today to discuss whether to call off the strike action is simply ridiculous," Minister for Education and Training Jeremy Rockliff said.
"They have had all weekend to call off the strike action."
Mr Rockliff said the union should have conducted a full ballot of teachers and cancelled industrial action while members consider the government's offer.
But the union says the government could have avoided this week's strike by considering a counter-offer following the rejection of a previous pay offer two weeks ago.
The latest pay offer is 0.25 per cent higher than the previous offer.
"We call on the premier to put quality education ahead of his political game playing which is causing unnecessary disruption and uncertainty for parents," Ms Richardson said.
School stop-work meetings will go ahead as planned in Burnie on Tuesday and in Launceston and Hobart on Wednesday.
The government has published a list of schools that will be forced to open late or close early.
The government and public sector unions have been at loggerheads for the best part of a year over pay and conditions.
