Tens of thousands of teachers in the Australian state of Victoria walked off the job, turning parts of Melbourne into a sea of red as they staged a mass strike after rejecting a pay offer of 28 per cent. The action highlights escalating tension between the state government or education authorities and the teaching workforce, who evidently believe the offer falls short of their demands despite its headline size, and signals the dispute could disrupt schools further if not resolved.

The scale of the walkout, described as involving tens of thousands of staff, points to strong union backing for rejecting the offer, with Melbourne's streets reportedly filled with demonstrators wearing red in a show of solidarity. Specific details on the union's counter-demands, the exact schools or regions affected, and the government's next steps were not fully outlined in the available report.