Covid-19: Childcare workers’ pay in doubt
A group representing childcare providers has criticised the Department of Children and Youth Affairs for what it calls its “utterly entrenched and uncommunicative” response to the Covid-19 crisis.
The Federation of Childhood Providers wrote to its members in recent days, saying it still has no clarity on any emergency funding from the Government — a “heavy and cruel body blow” to a “sector on its knees”.
A scheme announced by the Department to fund childcare and early education staff in full, partially supported by Revenue’s refund scheme, within a week of the national shutdown is totally inadequate, the group says.
In the letter to workers, the federation’s chairwoman, Elaine Dunne, and its committee said: “The scheme was to be released ‘shortly’, we were told. The reality was, in fact, very different.”
“Not only did the new scheme not cover a fraction of business overheads, but it was quickly followed by confirmation that all Department of Child and Youth Affairs schemes such as the Early Childhood Care and Education Programme were cancelled,” the letter said.
It claims it is still waiting after three weeks for clarity on the new scheme, and that at no point was it included in any consultation with the department.
As of April 8, it still has no clarity on funding for either paying staff or to keep premises going to ensure they are open for children once the pandemic crisis subsides, the letter said.
Communication between the Department and representative groups is ‘nil’.
“As much as they didn’t listen to us in the past, they are now utterly entrenched and uncommunicative,” it said.
“In early February, over 30,000 marched through Dublin to protest about a sector that was on its knees.
“Service owners and staff came together with a common voice. Not only was this voice not heard, but as the corona-virus has hit, a sector on its knees has been dealt a heavy and cruel body blow.”
The least politicians could understand is that a viable childcare sector will be needed when the economy is trying to recover, the letter says.
Earlier this week, Early Childhood Ireland, another body representing 3,800 childcare members who support more than 100,000 children, called for an urgent update from the department on the proposed Government wage subsidy scheme.
Easter wages will be a major headache for the sector, director of policy, Frances Byrne said: “Because the wage subsidy childcare scheme has not yet been introduced, thousands of childcare staff are now facing two weeks with no pay at all.
“So far, their salaries have been covered by the regular State funding for childcare places, but this will cease for these two weeks because they work in services that normally close for Easter.”
There was no comment available from the department in relation to issues raised by the early childhood education providers at the time of going to press.
