I'm sure that if you were a teacher, your response would be very different. Besides, this strike involves not only teachers but also police, nurses, firefighters, transport workers, and so on.
This has been a direct attack on them from the government to slash their pay rise to 2.5%. So yeah you say "It's a pay rise, what more do those ungrateful bastards want?". But inflation is also rising at 3.6% which basically means they got a pretty massive pay cut which will increase every year. They have families and homes to pay off just like all people.
More importantly, this new government has attempted to change the laws at their own whim, to steal away from all public workers the right to appeal to the Industrial Relations Commission against any grossly unfair working conditions, which now they must take or else lose the job. In a democratic society we all have this right to appeal and these public servants who teach your children, save your home and entire communities in giant summer bushfires, and respond to your every call for help when your life is in danger have just had theirs taken away.
And yeah the IRC told them to go back to work big whoop. If an oppressive aggressor was smashing you up, and some friend of yours chanted in soothing tones "don't fight back, just take it" would you be listening to them and passively stand there? It's not like you can just walk away from this fight because that means quitting your job and having no way of supporting your family. And after so many years working as a teacher, with many in their fifties, do you think they can just go out there and find any job they fancy?
Honestly it's not easy dealing with 30 odd kids every period of every day, especially if you go to a school where kids try to pummel each other over minor disagreements or simply have no respect for anyone. The least you can do is not kick them when they're down and criticise their attempt to preserve their current working conditions (or as you say "bitch and moan"). I wish you guys and the narrow minded, foolish radio hosts who bitterly spit out hostility towards them would stop.