Minimum pay for childcare workers to rise by 10pc after deal brokered for funding
Employer and worker representatives have put forward proposals to increase wages for early year educators and school age childcare practitioners.
Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, welcomed the proposals tabled by employer and worker representatives who are members of a Joint Labour Committee.
'The new proposals for a 10pc increase in minimum pay represent a significant step towards ensuring fair pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector,' she said.
Ms Foley said she is committed to ensuring the successful implementation of the proposals by providing a ring-fenced allocation of €45m from the government's Core Funding scheme for the sector.
She said this amount has been earmarked to support services in meeting the cost of the proposed increases in pay and conditions.
Recently, the minister met with the Joint Labour Committee to highlight the availability of the funding.
'I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Joint Labour Committee in these negotiations and their vital role in advancing the professionalism and value of those working in the sector,' she said.
If the proposals are implemented through updated Employment Regulation Orders for the workers, she said they will bring much-needed improvements in pay for dedicated professionals and enhance the quality of childcare.
'I am hopeful that these proposals will soon come into effect, marking a positive change for our dedicated and skilled staff in the early learning and childcare sector and the services that employ them,' she said.
A spokesperson for providers group, Childcare Service Ireland, said it is pleased to have reached an agreement that enables ring-fenced funding for wages to reach early years educators.
ADVERTISEMENT
'There are several pressing issues facing providers, and we look forward to working with the minister to address these challenges,' she said.
"Our goal is to ensure the continued sustainability of a high-quality early childhood education and care sector.'
The spokesperson said any further wage increases must be fully supported by government funding 'as the ongoing fee freeze and the incoming fee caps significantly limit providers' ability to absorb additional costs'.
Darragh O'Connor, Siptu head of organising, said the proposals are a big step forward in the union's campaign for recognition, respect and decent pay for early years professionals.
"It's widely acknowledged that there's a staffing crisis that is impacting on parents due to a lack of supply, and impacting on quality for children because of the high levels of staff turnover,' he said. 'We need to see continued year on year investment by government for pay so that educators can afford to stay in their profession.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
12 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Labour body proposes 10% rise in minimum pay for childcare workers
A 10% increase in minimum rates of pay for childcare workers has been proposed by the Joint Labour Committee. Children's minister Norma Foley welcomed the development, after highlighting that not all of a €45m ring-fenced allocation was being used for pay and conditions. The proposals have been put forward by the Joint Labour Committee, which is made up of employer and worker representatives. The new proposals for a 10% increase in minimum pay represent a significant step toward ensuring fair pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector It has the responsibility for setting minimum rates of pay for over 35,000 staff in the early years and childcare sector. The changes would be part of an employment regulation order (ERO) which is a mechanism to set the minimum rates of pay and conditions for workers in a specified business sector. The order is drawn up by a Joint Labour Committee and signed into law by the minister for enterprise. Ms Foley said: 'The new proposals for a 10% increase in minimum pay represent a significant step toward ensuring fair pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector. 'I am committed to ensuring the successful implementation of these proposals by providing a ring-fenced allocation of €45m from Core Funding. 'It has been specifically earmarked to support services in meeting the cost of the proposed increases in pay and conditions.' Recently, Ms Foley met with the Joint Labour Committee to highlight the availability of this €45m in Core Funding from the state for increased pay for staff in the early years and childcare sector. She said: 'I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Joint Labour Committee in these negotiations and their vital role in advancing the professionalism and value of those working in the sector. 'If these proposals are implemented through updated Employment Regulation Orders, they will bring much-needed improvements in pay for these dedicated professionals, enhancing the quality of care and education provided to children across Ireland. 'I am hopeful that these proposals will soon come into effect, marking a positive change for our dedicated and skilled staff in the early learning and childcare sector and the services that employ them.' Read More Tánaiste orders evacuation of Irish embassy staff in Iran
Irish Times
13 hours ago
- Irish Times
Supermarket cleared of discrimination in row over paying for groceries with 10c and 20c coins
A supermarket has been cleared of discriminating against two children who were asked by a cashier if they had 'anything larger' when they tried to pay for €68 worth of groceries with 10c and 20c coins. The children's father filed a complaint accusing the unidentified supermarket of a breach of the Equal Status Act 2000 by refusing service to the children on December 22nd, 2023, because they were members of the Travelling Community. The claim was ruled 'not well-founded' by the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in a decision published on Friday, which was anonymised because of the involvement of minors. The tribunal heard that at about 1.30pm on the day of the incident, a cashier scanned €68 worth of shopping through a checkout for a girl and boy whose father was outside the premises in a car. READ MORE The cashier's evidence was that she counted out €26.80 comprising €1 and €2 coins and 20c and 10c pieces. '[It] took some time to count,' she told the WRC at a remote hearing last month. When she asked the children for the rest of the sum due, the young girl produced a purse with 'a large amount of 10- and 20-cent coins inside', she told the WRC. The cashier then asked the children whether they had 'anything larger to pay with'. She explained that there was 'a large queue building up' at her till. The children said they did not and left to fetch their father, the cashier said. She said he asked her why she was not taking their money, and that she found him 'very confrontational'. She told the WRC she 'made it clear to him that she was not refusing to take his money' and had only asked for notes because it was 'a very busy day'. There were 'a lot more than 50 coins involved'. The supermarket owner came to the till and intervened, the tribunal heard. The owner gave evidence that the father showed her he had banknotes, but told her he 'wished to pay in full using coins'. The owner then proposed that the father could count out the exact amount owed in coins, or count it out in batches of €5-€10, she said. The father replied: 'You are refusing to accept our payment.' She said she was 'trying to find a solution' and even offered coin bags to count out the loose change, but the father 'turned and walked away and left the store mid-conversation'. The father gave evidence that the children told him at the car that they 'were not being served' and that he went in to find out why. He told the WRC he 'supported what [his wife] had said about the event' in presenting the claim. The family's position, as presented by the children's mother at last month's hearing, was that the children were 'refused service at the supermarket because they were members of the Travelling Community'. 'The children suffered embarrassment in the shop with locals present, and suffered embarrassment with their friends because of the incident.' The supermarket's solicitors, Sweeney McGann, submitted that the business offered an apology to the children's mother for the 'misunderstanding' in a bid to de-escalate the situation, as well as a voucher as a goodwill gesture, which was refused. Adjudicator Peter O'Brien wrote in a decision published on Friday that it was 'not prejudicial' for the cashier to ask the children if they had 'larger-value coins or notes to complete their purchases'. He noted that by law, 'no entity other than the Central Bank or such persons as ordered by the Minister [for Finance] shall be obliged to accept more than 50 coins denominated in euro or in cent in a single transaction'. He noted that the only person who had given direct evidence to him about the initial incident was the cashier, as anything the children had told their parents was 'hearsay'. The cashier's evidence was that she 'never refused to complete the purchase' but simply asked the children whether there was 'a more convenient way to pay', he wrote. 'The request to pay with larger-value notes or coins could easily have applied to a minor who was not a member of the Travelling Community or indeed any adult who presented with large amounts of small coinage on such a busy day,' he wrote. He concluded the cashier's actions were reasonable and that she 'did not engage in discriminatory or prohibited conduct', and dismissed the complaint.
Irish Independent
13 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Minimum pay for childcare workers to rise by 10pc after deal brokered for funding
Employer and worker representatives have put forward proposals to increase wages for early year educators and school age childcare practitioners. Minister for Children, Disability and Equality, Norma Foley, welcomed the proposals tabled by employer and worker representatives who are members of a Joint Labour Committee. 'The new proposals for a 10pc increase in minimum pay represent a significant step towards ensuring fair pay for educators and practitioners working in the sector,' she said. Ms Foley said she is committed to ensuring the successful implementation of the proposals by providing a ring-fenced allocation of €45m from the government's Core Funding scheme for the sector. She said this amount has been earmarked to support services in meeting the cost of the proposed increases in pay and conditions. Recently, the minister met with the Joint Labour Committee to highlight the availability of the funding. 'I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication of the Joint Labour Committee in these negotiations and their vital role in advancing the professionalism and value of those working in the sector,' she said. If the proposals are implemented through updated Employment Regulation Orders for the workers, she said they will bring much-needed improvements in pay for dedicated professionals and enhance the quality of childcare. 'I am hopeful that these proposals will soon come into effect, marking a positive change for our dedicated and skilled staff in the early learning and childcare sector and the services that employ them,' she said. A spokesperson for providers group, Childcare Service Ireland, said it is pleased to have reached an agreement that enables ring-fenced funding for wages to reach early years educators. ADVERTISEMENT 'There are several pressing issues facing providers, and we look forward to working with the minister to address these challenges,' she said. "Our goal is to ensure the continued sustainability of a high-quality early childhood education and care sector.' The spokesperson said any further wage increases must be fully supported by government funding 'as the ongoing fee freeze and the incoming fee caps significantly limit providers' ability to absorb additional costs'. Darragh O'Connor, Siptu head of organising, said the proposals are a big step forward in the union's campaign for recognition, respect and decent pay for early years professionals. "It's widely acknowledged that there's a staffing crisis that is impacting on parents due to a lack of supply, and impacting on quality for children because of the high levels of staff turnover,' he said. 'We need to see continued year on year investment by government for pay so that educators can afford to stay in their profession.'
