Childcare back to valuing workers

Union agreement will help set new standards for the industry

"The agreement will greatly improve the entitlements of the people who care for our children in the more than 1400 child-care centres now controlled by ABC. In the process, it will help to set new standards for the industry," Anne Summers wrote.

Anne Summers, who led the Office of the Status of Women in the early 1980s, is a best selling Australian author, journalist and speaker on political and social, especially women's, issues.

Winning organising campaigns despite unfriendly attitude towards unions


"Under the agreement, workers who have historically been undervalued and underpaid have gained large wage increases and a number of sought-after non-wage benefits.

" The LHMU Chilcare Union started organising ABC employees more than two years ago, before WorkChoices became law and after it became concerned at the increasing corporatisation of the child-care sector and the unfriendly attitude towards unions," Anne Summers said.

The column praises ACTU Secretary-elect, Jeff Lawrence, who is finishing up in a few weeks as the national secretary of the LHMU , for his role in ensuring union efforts benefit some of our lowest paid, yet most important, employees.

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