United Voice News
Pay cuts for low paid workers? No way!
Serena Kershaw, ACT childcare professional, is concerned about the value Australians place on the importance and potential of high quality early childhood experiences for children.
When employer group Australian Childcare Alliance made a submission to the Fair Pay Commission suggesting a cut in the minimum wage Serena was astounded. She spoke to The Australian about why the suggestion was outrageous.
Louise Tarrant, National Secretary of LHMU – The childcare union, asks: If the Alliance is advocating a wage cut for childcare workers, will they be dropping their fees because large government subsidies will stay the same?
The provision of quality childcare for Australian families is absolutely reliant on a stable, quality workforce. That is only possible if childcare professionals are paid a fair wage.
If, as the Alliance claims, childcare operators are concerned about the affordability of childcare, perhaps private operators charging high fees should consider dropping those fees. This makes more sense than advocating a cut in the wages of their hard-working and dedicated staff who are amongst the lowest paid workers in our community.
Read the story in today’s Australian
(http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25243255-5013871,00.html)
Find out more about the ACTU’s claim to the Fair Pay Commission for a $21 pw increase for workers on the minimum wage
(http://www.actu.asn.au/Media/Mediareleases/Unionspushfor21aweekpayriseforlowpaidworkerstostimulateeconomyandsafeguardjobs.aspx)
AS one of the millions of increasing working poor in this country
I fail to see how anybody can justify that $21 is a huge amount.
In Western Australia we have been told by our conservative State Government that we are all going to suffer massive government utility service increases across the board in the near future. In reality, the difference between working ; thus going and coming home from work "broke" and being unemployed ,money-wise and emotionally is now marginal.Nurses and Teachers in this State ,"our ever increasing right-wing protected species over here",recently received substantial pay rises and the Community didn't blink an eye ,in fact they welcomed it.Please reconsider for more.