Limited victory for child care workers

Press, 10 March 1984, Page 8

Limited victory for child care workers

After two years of campaigning, the Early Childhood Workers’ Union has won the right to negotiate an agreement for its members. The Arbitration Court has ruled in Wellington that the union has the right to negotiate conditions of employment in conciliation during the wage freeze. The union had obtained an exemption from the Government to the Wage Freeze Amendment which banned any conciliation. The conciliator Mr F. Maguire had referred the matter to the Court seeking clarification on the legality of conciliation. The union will now be free to negotiate an agreement with 17 child carecentres which have agreed to abide by the conditions. No date has been set yet

for the conciliation talks. Two Christchurch centres are among the 17 employers who will be represented at the talks. They are the Educational Child Care Centre in Gayhurst Road, Dallington, and the New Brighton creche. There are 48 centres in Christchurch. Two, run by the Christchurch City Council, already have an agreement covering wages and conditions, negotiated with the Canterbury Local Body Officers (other than Clerical) Union. The exemption approved by the Government allows negotiation of conditions, but not of wages. This means that the centres will set their own wage rates, subject only to the provisions of the Minimum Wages Act.