ACTU backs fair pay for early childhood educators

ACTU backs fair pay for early childhood educators
27 March 2018

The ACTU has voiced its support for 6,500 early childhood educators walking off the job today for fair pay.

Thousands of parents have kept their children at home today in support of the action, which calls for government intervention to ensure fair pay for early childhood educators.

The predominantly female workforce in early childhood education has been systematically undervalued with people in the sector earning as little as $21 per hour.

Early childhood educators are calling on the Turnbull government, which is responsible for funding the sector, to step in and ensure fair pay.

Since the previous walk-off in September 2017, more than 3000 additional educators have joined the campaign.

Quotes attributable to ACTU Secretary Sally McManus:

• “It’s outrageous that the Turnbull Government has refused to take action on equal pay for early childhood educators. A responsible government would have taken action already.”
• “Qualified early childhood educators deserve wages that reflect the professional work they do.
• “Ninety-seven percent of early childhood educators are women. It is not acceptable to pay people in female-dominated sectors less simply because they are women.
• “It is long past time for the Turnbull government to act to ensure fair pay for early childhood educators.” 

Quotes attributable to United Voice Assistant Secretary Helen Gibbons:

• “Across the country, parents are supporting the national action by keeping under-fives at home so that their children’s educators can walk off and fight for professional pay.”
• “The Turnbull government can’t keep putting their heads in the sand and allowing this pay crisis to escalate even further and driving centres to continue to close.
• “The Turnbull government funds the sector and they can fix this issue today if they have the will.”