MEDIA RELEASE United Workers Union welcomes launch of Early Childhood Strategy for the ACT

The United Workers Union welcomes today’s launch of the ACT Government’s “Set up for Success: An Early Childhood Strategy for the ACT”.

UWU’s Helen Gibbons said, “The launch of this strategy shows the ACT Government is valuing educators and valuing children.

“Most importantly, this strategy acknowledges the link between valuing early childhood educators and better outcomes for children. Quality early childhood education and care is a vital cornerstone for our society.

“The ACT Government’s approach is based on the overwhelming evidence that quality early childhood education and care makes a significant developmental impact on children.

“The Union welcomes the strategy’s recognition of the significant contributions of early childhood educators to children, families, communities and our society.

“By recognising the direct, positive educational and developmental impact the workforce has on children, the ACT Government can improve outcomes for children by supporting educators.”

The new ACT Government strategy outlines the ACT Government’s plan for early childhood education and care in the ACT for the next decade, and is based on four foundations for implementation:

• A fair start for every child
• Valuing educators, values children
• Every child has a story
• Working together for children

“Early childhood educators bring special knowledge and skills to their interactions with children, supporting them to deepen and extend their thinking, problem-solving skills and language as well as to build close and respectful relationships. Valuing children and investing in their learning and development requires that the government and community value and invest in educators.”

Educator Cassandra Duff has worked in early childhood education and care for more than 15 years.

“Today’s strategy launch acknowledges the work that educators like me do every day.

“Early childhood educators deserve respect, professional pay and recognition. This strategy is an important step for making these things a reality for ACT educators.

“For educators, this strategy will mean more Government support for training and professional development, and improvements to professional recognition.”

MEDIA RELEASE Federal Government announcement has no guarantees for educators

Empty promises of an employment guarantee to educators did nothing to reassure early educators that they will be paid over the next six weeks.

This week both the Victorian Premier Dan Andrews and Prime Minister Scott Morrison acknowledged the importance of an employment guarantee for workers in early childhood education.

Early educators have been on the frontline of this pandemic, ensuring essential workers can go to work and our economy continued to function.

But last month the Federal Government singled out early educators as the one sector to lose access to JobKeeper. Instead, the Government introduced a transitional payment where funding is directed to centres. This transitional payment doesn’t require any employer to pay workers a single cent of that taxpayer-funded payment.

Now that Stage 4 restrictions have been announced in Victoria, job losses and stand-downs are real concerns for hundreds of thousands of Victorian workers. Other sectors have the ability to access JobKeeper if they are stood down from their employment. But early educators have no such income security.

When the Federal Government announced this morning that there would be further support for the sector, educators were hopeful that this glaring inequality would be addressed.

Those hopes were dashed today when Dan Tehan announced further details of the Federal Government scheme, which increased funding to centres and improved provisions for parents, but made no provisions for income security for educators.

The new scheme increases allowable absences for parents and increases the amount of transitional funding directed to centres who see a downturn in enrolments.

United Workers Union Early Childhood Education and Care Director Helen Gibbons said: “Although educators welcome the improved arrangements for parents and the increased financial support for centres, there is nothing in today’s announcement that gives educators any certainty about being paid over the next six weeks.

“The Federal Government has clearly recognised the need to support this essential sector.

“But the devil is in the detail, and the current employment guarantee in the transitional funding model is not worth the paper it is written on. There is nothing in the current arrangements to prevent an employer standing down as many of their staff as they choose without pay.

“Workers in early education and care are now facing enormous uncertainty.

“What is required to fix this mess is a rock-solid wage guarantee that will give educators certainty that they will be paid. The taxpayer funding that is being directed to these services must be tied to wages to ensure that money is passed onto workers, and not kept by employers.

“It’s clear from the statement by the Minister that he has only listened to employers, and has not consulted with workers in the sector before announcing this new funding.

“Educators have no guarantee that their employers will choose to spend this extra taxpayer-funded money on their wages or employment.

“This is an appalling omission from the Federal Government and leaves tens of thousands of educators in Victoria facing an uncertain future.

“It’s great that today Dan Tehan recognised early educators as the ‘unsung heroes’ of this pandemic, but these are empty words when he will not guarantee they are paid for the next six weeks.

“United Workers Union is calling on Minister Tehan to guarantee educators’ wages by strengthening the employment guarantee provisions in the transitional funding.”

MEDIA RELEASE Early Educators petition Government for JobKeeper during lockdown in Victoria

Thousands of educators across the country are calling on the Federal and State Government to reinstate JobKeeper for Early Childhood Educators in Victoria for the length of the Stage 4 restrictions.

Yesterday Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews announced that as of Thursday, early childhood services in Melbourne will close, except for children of essential workers and vulnerable children.

Workers in early childhood education have already lost access to JobKeeper, meaning tens of thousands of educators working in federally-funded long day care services across Melbourne are facing today’s announcement with no guarantee of income for at least the next 6 weeks.

United Workers Union is calling on the State and Federal Government to extend JobKeeper to early educators in Victoria, with a petition launched only last night gathering more than 5,000 signatures and counting.

UWU’ Early Childhood Education and Care Director Helen Gibbons said: “The Government did not listen to the sector when they cut off early education from the JobKeeper scheme. That appalling decision now leaves tens of thousands of Melbourne educators at risk of being stood down without pay.
“JobKeeper was not implemented well in early education but it is the easiest solution to this crisis.

“If the Government just increases the current transitional payment in early education, this money could go straight to shareholders, with no guarantee of wages for workers. The Government must listen to educators now.

“Extending JobKeeper to educators is the only way to provide them with the same safety net as other sectors and guarantee that Victorian early education weathers this next lockdown.”

Karen has been an early childhood educator for more than 15 years, and currently works in a centre in Melton.

“We can’t afford to be without wages. Most of us have used all our entitlements in the last lockdown, and we have nothing left. How are we going to feed our children or pay our bills?

“How are we even going to survive?”

One Early Education Centre Director in western Melbourne said: “We are all feeling overwhelmed and worried about our sector. How are we going to come out the other side of this without Government support?”

Shelley Duggan has worked as an early childhood educator in Victoria for more than 18 years.

“Educators like me have already lost the support of JobKeeper. Now we are now faced with no guarantee of our income for at least the next 6 weeks.

“This crisis has been an incredibly exhausting and anxious time for everyone working in early education. Tens of thousands of educators across Melbourne have been on the front lines of this pandemic. We have kept going to work every day despite the risk to ourselves and our loved ones. Instead of thanking us for our contribution, the Federal Government kicked us off Job Keeper before anyone else.

“That’s why we are calling on the State and Federal Governments to immediately guarantee educators’ wages. We deserve the same safety net as other Melbourne workers.”

MEDIA RELEASE Melbourne Educators could be abandoned without pay

Today Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that as of Thursday, early childhood services in Melbourne will close, except for children of essential workers and vulnerable children.

Workers in early childhood education have already lost access to JobKeeper, meaning tens of thousands of educators working in federally-funded long day care services across Melbourne are facing today’s announcement with no guarantee of income for at least the next 6 weeks.

Early education was the first sector the Morrison Government kicked off JobKeeper. The current 25% transition payment to centres is not enough to cover the loss of income in a Stage 4 lockdown. This leaves tens of thousands of Melbourne educators at risk of being stood down without pay.

United Workers Union is calling on the State and Federal Governments to immediately guarantee early childhood educators’ wages. These essential workers must be provided the same safety net offered to workers in other parts of the economy.

United Workers Union Early Childhood Education and Care Director Helen Gibbons said: “This is a completely unacceptable position to leave early childhood educators in: with no idea if they will be able to provide for themselves and their families next week.

“Throughout this period of uncertainty, educators have kept coming to work every day to provide support for children and families. They’ve done this at great personal risk to themselves and their own loved ones. Instead of recognising and valuing their contribution, last month the Federal Government singled out early education as the only sector to lose the wage support of JobKeeper.

“The sweeping changes announced today in Victoria have exposed the true foolhardiness of cutting JobKeeper for early education. This appalling experiment has put the livelihoods of tens of thousands of dedicated educators at risk.

“Educators have been doing the right thing by children, families and the community throughout this crisis.

“It’s time for the Government to do the right thing by educators. When Melbourne is ready to go back to work, we need early educators ready to support families and the education of the youngest members of our community.

“The Federal and Victorian State Governments must immediately guarantee that educators will not lose wages during the Stage 4 lockdown.”