Key issue—union view

Press, 10 November 1986, Page 16

Key issue—union view

Unlike most employers, women workerintensive unions saw the availability of child care as a key issue for their members.

Women make up 70 per cent of the banking industry, so child care is important for over half the staff, says Maree Sharland, the southern industrial officer for the Bank Officers’ Union. Bank women who have children generally leave work until their children go to school. Others “ran themselves ragged” improvising child care with friends, family, or professional centres.

“It’s all very well to have fancy maternity leave packages, but on their own, they’re not enough. What are mothers supposed to do after they have had their children?” Maree asks.

The workers generally do not expect fullyfunded child-care centres from employers, just support to set them up.

The Bank Officers’ Union wants to make child care an issue in this year’s wage award. The Clothing Workers’ Union has sent all its

members a questionnaire asking them what they want in the way of child care. The results are expected in December. “We want to find out their concerns, then take them to the employers,” explains Paul Watson, the organiser for the Clothing Workers’ Union in Canterbury.

The union thinks employers and the Govern-

ment should be doing more to promote child care. Employers have provided child-care facilities in the past. During the Second World War, almost every big factory had a creche or other centre. The argument then was that men were away fighting so women had to work. And women couldn’t

work if they had to look after children at the same time. After the war, the men returned home and wanted jobs. Women were encouraged to stay home and the child-care centres were scrapped. Our experience shows, that women’s needs (and’ those of their children) can be met if society makes them a priority.