Childcare workers stage protest against pay rate
Twenty childcare workers picketed a Salisbury Street childcare centre yesterday in protest against an employer’s proposal to pay youth rates.
The proposal will be presented at award talks next week. A South Island childcare union spokeswoman, Ms Carolyn de Geus, said the proposed rates were $1 below the minimum adult wage of $5.25 set by the Government. Childcare workers were not prepared to subsidise parents by working for youth rates, she said. If parents could not afford increased rates, it was the
role of the Government to subsidise childcare centres. “Youth rates would undervalue and undermine a very important service,” said Ms de Geus. “Public reaction to the picket has been favourable. It seems people can relate the importance of wages and conditions to the quality of childcare.” The picket was held outside one of four childcare centres owned by Mrs Judith Howman, one of the assessors for the employers’ association at the award talks in Wellington. “The situation is difficult, and I am unsure of
an answer. We want something that people can afford and something that would protect the quality of childcare,” Mrs Howman said.
She said she would like to protect childcare centres in smaller towns that could not afford to pay higher rates.
A questionnaire had been sent to all childcare employers in New Zealand to ascertain their views on wage rates.
Mrs Howman said she did not pay youth rates, but some centres did because of the rise in the minimum wage.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19870515.2.49
Bibliographic details
Press, 15 May 1987, Page 5
Word Count
254Childcare workers stage protest against pay rate Press, 15 May 1987, Page 5
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.