Local government calls for better conditions and pay for early childhood educators
At the Local Government NSW conference in Parramatta, councillors from across NSW have today called for wage increases above inflation and support for councils to expand quality public early childhood education and care for families across the state.
The motion, introduced by Greens councillors from City of Sydney, Inner West and Randwick was passed without objection.
Dr Amanda Cohn MLC, Greens spokesperson for Local Government, said that improving educator pay and conditions was needed for local families to access quality public early childhood education and care.
“Children and families in NSW deserve accessible and affordable education and care. Today, councillors agreed that a pay rise above inflation is needed to address this issue now and into the future, as anything less would be a pay cut in real terms.
“There is a crisis in early childhood education, with a majority of educators planning to leave the sector over the next three years and one in five long daycare centres in NSW consistently operating under ratio. We have nowhere near the number of graduates we need to fill the gaps.
The motion adopted reads:
That Local Government NSW commits to supporting councils to recruit and retain early childhood educators by:
1. Calling on the NSW State Government government to:
- increase support for public early childhood education services, including extending the paid placement funding offered to ECT students to Diploma and Certificate III students, and;
- support councils to expand high quality early childhood education and care through long daycare, out of hours care, pre-school, and occasional care.
2. Bargaining with the United Services Union and its members in good faith to achieve an increase to wages for early childhood educators above inflation, as well as leave provisions and hazard pay that reflect the risk of infection associated with work in early childhood education.
Local Government NSW annual conference 2023.
Media contact: Alice Gifford 9230 2566