Better pay, training and career development for childcare workers
Austrian union launches petition to support
childcare workers
Younion, representing municipal
workers in Austria has launched a petition calling for support for childcare
workers in the Lower Austria region. The union highlights the significant
increase in responsibilities for these workers who don’t just provide quality
childcare but deal with a whole range of tasks including cleaning, preparing
meals and dealing with parents. The union is calling on people to sign its
petition with four main demands:
Improvements in the quality and quantity of education;
Provision of opportunities for training and further
education;
Creation of a clear career path; and
Pay in line with the demands of the job.
(Read more at younion (DE)
Other news from EPSU’s childcare unions
Over the past year or so, EPSU affiliates in other
countries have also raised important issues affecting the pay, working
conditions and employment rights of childcare workers.
In Ireland the IMPACT
and SIPTU trade unions have been calling for more
state funding for childcare and improvements in pay for childcare workers. The
major problem of low pay has been highlighted in a recent parliamentary report
on the sector and the unions say that many workers are not only paid below the
living wage but are often paid in school term time only. See EPSU collective bargaining newsletter articles
from August 2017 and November, October and September 2016.
In Switzerland, the vpod
public services union has called for an end to internships in
childcare and additional funding to ensure a proper provision of training in
the sector. The union argues that many employers exploit the intern system to
keep staff costs down while there is evidence that many workers who start on
internships as a step towards a proper traineeship are disappointed as too few
training places are available. While some authorities and employers have tried
to regulate internships, vpod argues that they should be abolished completely. See EPSU collective bargaining newsletter article from June 2017.
Earlier this year, the German public
services union ver.di called on the minister for youth
and families to launch a major national initiative to extend and improve
training for childcare workers. The union argues that this is needed to ensure
the supply of enough well-trained staff to cope with the planned increase of
100000 kindergarten places. The union also wants to see national action in
relation to staffing levels to address the problem of the wide variation in the
availability and quality of early years education from region to
region.
Trade unions representing childcare workers in the
private sector in Norway negotiated
a new pay agreement this year which is in line with that in the municipal
sector. Overall worth about 2.4% the agreement includes a 2% increase on
minimum rates taking the lowest pay rate to NOK 295900 a year (around EUR
31650). The agreement covers over 26000 workers in more than 1700 workplaces.
Meanwhile a strike over pensions in the Akasia group of kindergartens went into
its fourth week at the end of May with more workers joining the strike.
Equality of pension provision for men and women is a key demand.
See EPSU collective bargaining newsletter article
from May 2017.
The BDDSz childcare workers'
trade union in Hungary has been campaigning
for several years to a pay increase for public service workers and so has been
enthusiastic in its support for the ETUC's pay rise campaign. The union has
stood up against government attempts to block strike action and successfully
defended its right to strike in a court case in 2016. See EPSU collective bargaining
newsletter articles from April 2017 and June 2016.
In Denmark the FOA
public services union has been concerned for some time about
increased pressure on municipalities to outsource care services, including
childcare. The union reported in early 2017 that employees at the Naturfidusen
private childcare provider were not paid in December as the company went
bankrupt.See EPSU collective bargaining newsletter articles from January 2017.
French trade unions representing childcare
workers were involved in mobilisations at the end of 2016
and beginning of 2017. The unions point out that working time and other working
conditions vary considerably across the country and the needs of this group of
workers has been ignored by employers both locally and nationally. They are
calling for improved pay and conditions and career development for nursery
school workers.
In the private sector in Austria the
vida services union reported that the minimum wage for childcare assistants
increased by 2.3% from 1 January 2017. This took the minimum monthly wage to
EUR 1469, a further step towards the union target of EUR 1500. The rate was
negotiated with the federal administration and applies to around 5300 workers
across the country. See EPSU collective bargaining newsletter article
from December 2016.
The three main public sector federations in Italy -
Fp-Cgil, Cisl-FP and Uil-Fpl - organised a national mobilisation in May 2016 as
part of a campaign to improve and increase childcare services and the pay and
conditions of childcare workers. The unions have raised concerns about
inadequate staffing levels, too few nurseries, particularly for the 0-3 age
group and precarious working conditions for childcare workers.
See EPSU collective bargaining newsletter article
from June 2016.
Above news from EPSU
