Australian union for childcare workers demand pay rise

Early childhood educators’ union has criticized the Albanese government for failing to increase their salary in the federal budget and has hinted that it will soon file a multi-employer bargaining claim for a 25% pay increase.

After the new industrial rules go into effect on June 6th, according to Helen Gibbons, the United Workers Union’s director of early childhood education, it is “most likely” that union will apply on behalf of thousands of educators.

Gibbons told Australia, “We want to make an application as soon as we possibly can,” indicating that it will do so for a multi-employer pay agreement affecting providers throughout the country under the new sponsored bargaining stream.

Early childhood instructors should be paid better everywhere, according to Gibbons. Therefore, the union will adopt a “national approach to what is a national problem.”

She said that a “significant uplift [in pay] is required” because, starting in July, educators will already be “paid less than retail” workers. Due to a successful work value case in that industry, they will be paid 15% less than aged care workers.

In its pre-budget submission, the UWU requested a 25% salary raise, and the task force on women’s economic equality partially endorsed this request. To “retain and attract workers to the sector,” it was stated that early childhood educators needed a raise in “recognition of the historical undervaluation of their work.”

The Albanese administration pledged $11.3 billion for the 15% pay increase for elderly care that the Fair Work Commission ordered, $70 million for the professional growth of early childhood educators, and a $9 billion increase in childcare subsidies. Still, it made no provisions for a salary increase for that industry.

The government passed the Secure Jobs Better Pay Act in November, expanding the possibilities for multi-employer pay agreements and allowing for the supported bargaining stream to replace the low-paid bargaining stream.

Gibbons claimed that the UWU had spent months preparing for an application, including sector-wide gatherings with businesses and leading organizations.

The multi-employer claim initially excludes some sizable childcare providers that already have wage agreements with their staff; however, Gibbons stated that the UWU intended to be able to extend the claim “to different groups of employees over time” following an “initial application”.

Early childhood educators are highly qualified, professional, and predominately female.

“Early childhood education has a workforce crisis that will only worsen as it becomes more financially viable to work in aged care,” she said. We’re hoping for growth on a modest basis. Since the more generous subsidies will only boost demand, we are dissatisfied that no funding was allocated in the budget for early educators’ salaries.

The federal government would sit at a table with firms in the supported stream, reflecting what Gibbons called its “pivotal role” in financing the industry and deciding workers’ salaries.

We’re eager to end the ongoing undervaluation of the labour done by our members.
Gibbons stated that equal pay and work value cases were “lengthy and expensive processes,” but he did not completely rule them out.

“We don’t want to watch lawyers spar in the Fair Work Commission; we want a real three-way conversation to fix this undervaluation quickly and effectively.”

“We understand the importance of getting wages moving, especially in low-paid, female-dominated industries like early childhood education and care,” early childhood education minister Anne Aly said. We passed the Secure Jobs, Better Pay laws last year for precisely that reason.

“It’s wonderful to see parties, including unions and employers, preparing to pursue wage increases through the pathways provided by the Fair Work Act.”We won’t predict the results of any bargaining sessions, but we will keep working with the sector and the union and participate in negotiations when appropriate.

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