Extra child spending gets union praise

Press, 1 August 1989, Page 23

Extra child spending gets union praise

by

MARITA VANDENBERG

The Early Childhood Workers* Union has applauded the increased spending in the early childhood area announced in last week’s Budget.

The unions’s secretary, Ms Helen Baxter, says New Zealand childcare workers were on rates of pay as low as $6.10 an hour, and experienced, trained supervisors were earning as little as $9.30 an hour.

“Wages and conditions for workers play a large part in the provision of a quality service. Low wages and poor conditions result in high stress levels among staff and rapid turnover in centres,” she said.

Some centres had very high staff turnovers.

Ms Baxter said the Budget provision would mean substantial Increases for centres catering the under-two age group. “Younger children require higher staff-child ratios and therefore cost more. There has been a desperate shortage of provision of services that cater for this age group.”

She said centres would now be able to offer substantial improvements for workers’ wages and conditions.

“Leave conditions and the hours of work in existing childcare worker awards are barbaric when you consider the amount of repohsibility, skill and commitment required.” While pleased with the new funding, the union was concerned about the lack of accountability required. Unless the new charter requirements were particularly tight, commercial childcare centres might use the extra funds to increase profits, it said.

The union also believes the five-year period for phasing in the $ll3 million increase is too long.

“The $ll3 million added to existing expenditure of $B2 million only amounts to a total of $195

million for the whole of early childhood,” said Ms Baxter.

“We are disappointed this total falls short, by about $55 million, of the level recommended in the Mead Report.” The Mead Report, released last September calculated $250 million would be necessary to allow for increases to the kindergarten service so that staff-child ratios could be improved and all other early childhood services brought up to that level.

Last week the Prime Minister, Mr Lange announced a 20 per cent interim funding boost to take effect from July 1. The union siad this would relieve existing financial pressures on centres and allow childcare services to become more accessible to families with lower incomes.