Pay Talks & Budget 2022

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 we still have work to do.

We need to campaign for funding in Budget 2022 to improve pay. We also need to build a strong union to negotiate the best deal possible.

Budget 2022

The pandemic showed everyone just how essential the Early Years sector is for children, families and the wider economy.

However, poverty pay and conditions mean that Educators cannot afford to stay in the profession they love.

As a first step in our Budget 2022 campaign, we are asking everyone to sign the petition for greater investment.

By stand together we can make Early Years a priority for government in Budget 2022.

Educators, parents and providers need A New Deal for Early Years.

Summer Lay-off

ECCE services are finishing up soon; this normally means thousands of Educators are forced to sign-on for the summer month.

However, this year services can use the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) to “retain staff in work and continue to pay them over the summer months” (page 6).

Recruitment and retention of staff is a big issue for services. Keeping staff on the EWSS not only recognises their contribution during Covid, but will help services retain staff.

Vaccination During Working Time

Since yesterday 35–39 year-olds can register for the Covid vaccine. This is great news and will be a relief for many Educators.

However, some staff might need time off work to attend their vaccine appointment.

The advice is that “staff should facilitated with reasonable time off work, without loss of pay when the appointment is scheduled during working time or when workers need time off work to travel to and or from their appointment” (page 11).

If you need advice or support, please contact your local SIPTU organiser by or emailing bigstart@siptu.ie.

Find Out More

If you want to find out more about SIPTU, or need information and support, you can contact SIPTU’s confidential helpline.

• Call (01) 9617100 between 10am and 4pm
• Email bigstart@siptu.ie.

You can talk in confidence 1-to-1 with a SIPTU organiser or arrange a group meeting for your service.

If you are not yet a member, you can also join here