Take Action: Fire Safety Grants
Ensuring a safe environment for children and educators is a fundamental obligation of all Early Years setting.
Fire safety is one of the most basic requirements.
The Department of Children and Youth Affairs (DCYA) recognise this and have made available a grant of up to €15,000 to improve fire safety. However it is only open to community providers.
SIPTU members have launched a petition calling on the DCYA to allow all Early Years services, community and private, to access fire safety funding if they are unable to meet the costs of necessary improvements.
If enough people sign the petition we can show this is a big issue that can’t be ignored.
The safety of children and workers shouldn’t be discriminated against on the basis of being in a community or private setting
Sectoral Employment Order
Poor pay and conditions are causing a staffing crisis in the Early Years sector. This is undermining quality and threatening the sustainability of services.
Only increased government funding can solve the low pay crisis, but government are insisting on a pay mechanism for this to happen.
The good news is that we have the solution; a Sectoral Employment Order (SEO).
Last week we discussed Sectoral Employment Orders (SEO) and how they can be used to improve pay and conditions. We also discussed the big questions that educators and providers are asking; what does it mean for me and my service?
You can check out the video here and please post any questions you have in the comments section.
The message from government now clear; No SEO = No Funding for Pay. To establish an SEO we need 1/3 of Early Years workers to join SIPTU. We are half way to our target, so if you are not yet a member you can join now by clicking this link.
