The new Labor government will fail in its attempts to make early childhood education more accessible and more affordable without a serious overhaul of the sector’s conditions and wages, the United Workers’ Union has warned.
Educators voted on Wednesday to take strike action on 7 September – Early Childhood Educators Day – to highlight the issues and stress that workers within the sector have been experiencing after “more than a decade of inaction”.
Hundreds of childcare centres will be shut on the day which is usually set aside as a celebration for early childhood educators, with workers wanting to draw attention to the rate of burnout and stress within the industry.
Helen Gibbons of the United Workers’ Union, which represents early childhood educators, said thank-you morning teas, while welcome, did not pay the bills and there was an urgent need to address the systemic issues festering within the industry.
“Without change, the new Labor government is going to fail in its attempt to make early education more affordable and more accessible,” she said.
“We’re already seeing rooms close and enrolments be turned away because there’s not enough staff. I think that the government will take this seriously. What we’re saying to them is you need to make it a priority.”
Workers have identified three immediate priorities.
“The first one is give us a reason to stay and pay us what we’re worth,” Gibbons said.
“They can be paid as little as $24 an hour, even though they’re qualified, they’re experienced and they have such an enormously responsible job.
“The second thing they are calling for is to value early education as part of the education system just like schools, and not see early education as a second cousin to the school system.
“And the final thing that they’re calling for is to put children before profit. We’re really looking for, not just a change of wages and conditions, but to take this opportunity to really rethink early education and reform the whole sector. There’s been nearly a decade of band-aids and the band-aids have run out. It’s time to actually fix the problem.”
Early childhood education minister, Anne Aly, said the government was committed to addressing issues in the sector.
“Our early childhood educators play a vital role, not just for children and families but also the wider economy, and they deserve to be recognised and valued consistent with that critical role,” she said.
“Labor is lifting the maximum childcare subsidy rate to reduce the cost of childcare for families, and will be asking the Productivity Commission to review the sector and the ACCC to examine the relationship between funding, fees, profits and educators’ salaries.
“Early childhood educators are taking action to see issues in the sector addressed, and I’ll be working constructively with all stakeholders including the educators to improve the sector.”
Gibbons said parents could support their young children’s educators by supporting the strike action and drawing more attention to the cause.
“Educators always very appreciative of the thank yous and cupcakes, but they want to use the day [7 September] to highlight that what we really need in this sector is real reform,” she said.
“What parents can do is that they can talk to their early educators and tell them that they support them. They can make arrangements to keep their children home that day.
“And in fact, they should join educators at the rallies – the rally is going to be big and powerful and colourful and it’s a fantastic opportunity to stand alongside early educators and say, ‘what we need is an early education system that delivers for everybody, including parents and children and early educators’.”
Rallies are planned across the nation on 7 September.
