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Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- 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.'
Irish Examiner
10-06-2025
- Business
- Irish Examiner
New gender pay gap reporting rules expand to more Irish businesses in 2025
This year, for the first time, businesses with 50 or more employees are legally required to report their Gender Pay Gap (GPG). Until now this was only a requirement for businesses employing more than 150 employees. And while this is a significant change it's also a positive move for society, it will help ensure pay equity is embedded right across the labour force. To help organisations in meeting this requirement, the Department of Children, Disability and Equality is launching a new portal this autumn. This will make it easier for employers to file their reports and for the public to view them. Far more than a compliance task, GPG reporting is a hugely positive step towards workplace gender equality. It allows employers to acknowledge the gaps between their employees and take steps to address the underlying issues. Of course, by law, people doing the same work must get the same pay. But the gender pay gap refers to the difference in the average hourly wage of all the men and all the women, in any organisation. For example, if an employer has more executive staff who are men and more junior staff who are women, a clear gender gap will exist. Simply reporting on gender pay helps employers to view their employees through an important lens, helping to ensure there is a balanced mix of men and women at every level. If there isn't a balanced mix of employees, GPG reporting can help employers to understand why not. For example, it could be that their recruitment policies need to be reassessed; that stereotyping or unconscious bias is leading to the promotion of one gender over the other; or that roles are being structured without reference to a work life balance, caring responsibilities or family leaves. If efforts to close the gender pay gap globally were to continue at their current rate, it would take women 134 years to reach full parity Research from the European Commission shows women in the EU earn on average 13 per cent less than their male counterparts. In Ireland EU estimates for 2023 found women earned on average 8.6 per cent less than their male counterparts. This is an area we are now starting to get clarity on, thanks to the 2021 Gender Pay Gap Information Act, which requires organisations to report on their GPG each year. The gap is typically lower for new labour market entrants but widens with age, often as a result of career interruptions that women may experience during their working life. Closing the gap is not just important for today but for tomorrow too. A 2019 analysis from the Economic and Social Research Institute, covering data collected throughout the 2010s, found that women retired earning 35 per cent less than their male counterparts, which has a significant impact on their income in retirement. If efforts to close the gender pay gap globally were to continue at their current rate, it would take women 134 years to reach full parity, according to the World Economic Forum. This is why the move to include organisations in Ireland with 50 or more employees is essential. As the figure has changed from 150 employees last year, and 250 employees in 2022, a much clearer picture on pay will emerge. That's good news for employers, existing employees and job seekers too. How does it work? Businesses and organisations that employ more than 50 people can select any date in June 2025, and submit their Gender Pay Gap (GPG) report within five months of that date, before the 30th November. If a business chooses a date in June, for example, it must then calculate the number of employees on this date and their entire remuneration for the previous 12 months. For each employee, that includes total ordinary pay as well as any bonuses or benefits in kind received over the preceding 12 months. Based on this information, the employee's hourly pay can be calculated. The Department of Children, Disability and Equality's new central portal will allow for a comparison of GPG data across different sectors, industries and levels of seniority. All employer reports can be easily uploaded and can be accessed publicly. The portal will be available in Autumn 2025. Kathleen Linehan, group strategic director of human resources at the Trigon Hotels Group in Cork is looking forward to uploading its gender pay gap report this year. The company includes much loved hotels such as the Metropole and Cork International Hotel. As someone who is passionate about ensuring diversity, equity and inclusion in the workplace – Linehan is a cousin of disability rights activist and former sports journalist Joanne O'Riordan – GPG is a metric she already tracks. The Trigon Hotels Group in Cork includes much loved hotels such as the Metropole and Cork International Hotel. She joined the company in 2019, from a lean manufacturing background, and is a long-standing believer that you can't manage what you can't measure. 'Every single thing we do in our HR department is data driven,' she explains. 'We have monthly HR reports in which we include the gender balance in our departments, as well as the mix of nationalities we have, so that we have diversity of thought and better mixing.' One of her first steps on joining was to introduce a structured, transparent pay scale, as well as training and development to support staff in their career progression. With 240 staff spread across three separate commercial entities, it is only this year that each hotel comes under the new reporting obligations. 'We already have all the information we will require because this is something we've been working on all the time,' she says. 'I was only pulling out our data on this last week and took enormous pleasure in seeing the great balance we have so I only see gender pay gap reporting as a positive.' For more information, visit
Irish Independent
04-06-2025
- General
- Irish Independent
Over a quarter of fathers who do not live with their children have ‘little to no contact with them'
While 14pc of children between nine months and five years do not live full-time with their fathers, rising to 18pc by nine years of age, according to new research published by the Economic and Social Research Institution (ESRI). The report uses Growing Up in Ireland (GUI) data to look at the profile of fathers not living full-time with their children, termed 'non-resident fathers'. The GUI study, produced in partnership with the Department of Children, Disability and Equality (DCDE), has included both resident and non-resident fathers in almost all waves of the study. The primary focus of the report is on how best to involve non-resident fathers in future waves of the GUI birth cohort, however it provides interesting insights on non-resident fathers and their relationships with their children. Families with a non-resident father have much younger mothers, who tend to have lower levels of education and are more likely to live in urban areas. Households that experienced parental separation during the study were more disadvantaged in profile, with this group of fathers having lower educational levels, higher unemployment and greater financial difficulties. Half of non-resident fathers see their babies or toddlers several times a week, according to mothers' reports. Contact is less frequent as children transition to school, though around a third of five and nine-year-olds see their fathers at least a few times a week. Although the non-resident fathers surveyed tend to be actively involved in their children's lives, around half of them would like more frequent contact. Parental accounts of the father's frequency of contact differ, with mothers reporting lower levels of contact than fathers do. Over a third (38pc) of separated mothers receive regular payments from the non-resident father, while 11pc receive payments on an ad hoc basis. From the child's perspective, over half (53pc) report getting on 'very well' with their father at age nine, indicating the importance of their father in their lives. Birth and child cohort studies internationally have varied in the extent to which they include the perspectives of resident fathers, with even greater variation found in the inclusion of non-resident fathers. Studies that do include non-resident fathers have yielded important insights into their influence on child outcomes and the importance of the resources. These are financial, social and emotional resources – that fathers provide for their children. However, many studies have experienced challenges in including non-resident fathers. Both NGOs and separated parents strongly emphasised the importance of including non-resident parents in research, with interviewees highlighting the active involvement of fathers in their children's lives and the consequent impact on child development. Emer Smyth, co-author of the report, said a significant proportion of children – around one-in-six – do not live with their father full-time. "So not including their father gives only an incomplete picture of their lives,' she said. 'Parents can differ in their perceptions of the father-child relationship, so capturing both perspectives is important.'
Extra.ie
28-05-2025
- Politics
- Extra.ie
Norma Foley to introduce childcare fee cap for parents
The Minister for Children Norma Foley has said that she will be introducing a fee cap for childcare, saying that costs are 'far too high.' A new Ispos B&A Poll published by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality found that 49% of parents of pre-school age children and 53% of parents of school-age children found it easy to pay for childcare. Following the publication of the report, Minister Foley said that while there's been a 50% reduction in the cost of childcare, the cost is still 'far too high' along with some parents having a lack of accessibility. The Minister for Children Norma Foley has said that she will be introducing a fee cap for childcare, saying that costs are 'far too high.' Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire As a result, she has announced an ambitious plan to cap fees this September, and will be increasing the number of places of childcare; which she announced last week. 'Over the last number of years since we've brought in state funding directly to [childcare] providers, we've seen, on average, a 50% reduction in the cost of childcare,' Minister Foley told Claire Byrne. 'But it's still far too high. 'In terms of it still being too costly, come this September I will be introducing a fee cap, and that will particularly help parents who are paying particularly high fees for childcare. In terms of accessibility, I'm very conscious of that — so we've also given a commitment that we'll increase the number of places.' A new Ispos B&A Poll published by the Department of Children, Disability and Equality found that 49% of parents of pre-school age children and 53% of parents of school-age children found it easy to pay for childcare. Pic: Shutterstock 'Just last week, I announced funding of €25million which is providing 1,500 additional places. But we need to do much more,' Minister Foley continued. 'We've given a commitment that the state will intervene where there isn't a provision of service. 'I want to recognise that we do that alongside the private provision, we're committed over the next number of years between now and 2030, we envisage that 14,000 additional places will be required every year; we will make additional places available either through supporting private providers or the state intervening itself.' Minister Foley also spoke about staffing numbers and retaining numbers, adding that she's made €45million available 'so that there'll be an increase in wages for staff.' Minister Foley said that she hopes to increase the number of available places, as well as increasing wages for staff. Pic: Niall Carson/PA Wire 'I want to say that the Joint Labour Committee is independent of me,' she continued. 'But I want to say that I put €45million on the table, I've met with the membership of the Joint Labour Committee, I've made it very clear that I want every single last penny of that spent on wages. They deserve the uplift, we want professionals, we want the best of people caring for children. To do that, they need to be paid. 'It's about reducing costs for parents, and it's about ensuring that there are more places available, ensuring staff are paid proportionately and appropriately for the excellent work they do, and equally it's ensuring that there is enough money coming forward from government.' Following the publication of the Department's survey, Minister Foley said that while there were 'tangible improvements' surrounding childcare, the burden remains high for a lot of families. 'The National Childcare Scheme is currently supporting thousands of families to offset their childcare costs,' Minister Foley said in a statement. 'Moreover, the recent extension of regulation to paid, non-relative childminders is opening up of the National Childcare Scheme to an increasing number of childminders, enabling more parents to access State subsidies who were previously unable to do so. 'These developments to the National Childcare Scheme combined with fee management measures under Core Funding, have resulted in tangible improvements for many families. 'I do recognise however that the burden on some families remains high and some continue to face challenges in accessing places, particularly families with very young children. That is why the Programme for Government has made very ambition commitments in this policy area, which I am committed to delivering on. 'Results from the survey show awareness of supports under the National Childcare Scheme, while improving on recent years, remains low. An awareness raising campaign, led by my Department, is underway. 'As part of that campaign, my Department will be engaging with families at the 'Budding Bloomers' section of Bord Bia Bloom this weekend to discuss the supports available to help reduce the cost of childcare.'
