(2 June 2016) EPSU affiliates from 14 countries met in Brussels yesterday to discuss the latest developments in the childcare sector and the main challenges facing trade unions. While acknowledging the increase in provision in several countries there was serious concern about ensuring quality of service and quality of employment. Several participants also highlighted trends towards privatisation and commercialisation that they saw as undermining attempts to improve quality.
Some of the other common themes identified included:
- Problem of low pay, with childcare workers in some countries on or near minimum wage levels;
- Very challenging working environment and pressure of workloads;
- Staff shortages, inadequate training and high turnover; and
- Funding difficulties, particularly in relation to local and regional government and wide variations of provision across regions.
The afternoon debate focused on the European Semester – the process of economic policy coordination which, more recently, has highlighted the importance of social investment, including early years care and education. Representatives of the public (CEEP) and private (Businesseurope) employer organisations, the European Commission, the European Trade Union Confederation and the Eurochild campaigning and lobbying group joined the discussion.
While there was general consensus about the need for increased investment in childcare the panellists had their own take on some of the detail.
Read the full article at http://www.epsu.org/article/childcare-more-quality-less-commercialisation
