The Early Years staffing crisis is getting worse and the only solution is better pay. SIPTU members have delivered this message to government Ministers and TD’s throughout August. There can be no more excuses, Budget 2022 must deliver funding for a pay deal. Staffing Crisis Services are struggling to recruit and retain…

21st June 2021 Today Early Years Educators took a big step towards professional pay and conditions. Minister Damien English established a Joint Labour Committee (JLC) for the Early Years Sector. This means that union members can now negotiate better pay and conditions with employers, just like teachers and nurses. But…

SIPTU representatives have today raised the serious concerns of Early Years Educators over the Government’s new vaccination schedule at a high level meeting with the Minister of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. SIPTU Head of Strategic Organising and Campaigning, Darragh O’Connor, said: “Early Years Educators have stood up the…

High quality Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services enhance children’s holistic development (including educational outcomes), support families, promote social inclusion, reduce child poverty and enhance future employability. Affordable services facilitate workforce participation for parents; particularly for women. Despite these benefits and significant increases in investment, Ireland spends just 0.2%…

SIPTU representatives today (Friday 8th January) called on government to limit Early Years services to children of essential frontline workers and the most vulnerable children. Provision of care is only for children of essential frontline workers required to be physically present in their workplace on the days that they are…

31st December SIPTU representatives have today (Thursday, 31st December) demanded that equal treatment is applied to all educators under new Level 5 restrictions. Speaking following the announcement of the move, SIPTU Head of Organising Darragh O’Connor said: “An Taoiseach told the nation that the reopening of primary and secondary schools…

1. The OECD has only recently begun publishing ‘teacher’ salaries at pre-primary level. It is available here. 2. There are a number of caveats in this data: · The salaries are expressed in US $ purchasing power parities · The salaries are based on ‘public institutions’. These are no directly…

SIPTU representatives have today (Tuesday, 20th October) demanded that the Government and employers take immediate action to ensure that workers in the childcare sector are provided with adequate protection from Covid-19 infection. SIPTU Head of Organising, Darragh O’Connor, said: “Figures released by the HSE to then Sinn Féin spokesperson on…

The Minister for Children has a problem; poor pay and conditions have caused a staffing crisis in Early Years. He knows he has a problem because over a 1,000 SIPTU members signed an open letter calling for professional pay and conditions for Early Years Educators. He knows he has a…