Hundreds rally for workers

THE early childhood education sector is sliding into crisis and needs more Federal Government funding, unions and educators say.

Childcare workers walked out of work across the nation yesterday with 200 rallying on Parliament House Lawns in Hobart.

United Voice acting state secretary Jessica Sanders stood shoulder to shoulder with Cambridge Road Play and Learn Centre director Jackie Hughes as the rally was told that Australia’s “95 per cent women” early childhood workforce was woefully undervalued.

“It should no longer be seen as easy women’s work,’’ Ms Sanders said.

Ms Sanders said, at $21 an hour, childcare workers made less money than cleaners, security guards and hospitality workers.

“A lot of the people leave the sector to go and work, you know, packing shelves at Coles pays higher wages than working on early childhood does,” she said.

“It’s just atrocious. The qualifications that these educators have should absolutely be valued.”

“We really feel that it’s a government responsibility now,” Ms Hughes said.

Federal Education and Training minister Simon Birmingham said he had “enormous respect” for early learning and child care workers.

“The role of government is not to run those centres but to help families access affordable care,” Mr Birmingham said.

“That’s why the Turnbull Government is overhauling child care subsidies and investing an extra $2.5 billion to deliver more support for more Australians, benefiting around one million families.”

Andrea Caeser, a full-time retail worker who took the entire day off work so she could collect her daughter 3year-old daughter Hollie early, said she backed the campaign “whole heartedly”.