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Media seizes on suggestions to Fair Pay Commission of caution in increasing childcare wages.
As Secretary of the Australian Childcare Alliance (ACA), Frank Cusmano, on behalf of the ACA, lodged a submission for the 2009 minimum wage review with the Australian Fair Pay Commission (AFPC). In its submission, ACA urged that given the current economic climate, both in Australia and throughout the world, the AFPC should, in their deliberation, exercise restraint in their function of reviewing and setting minimum wages.
ACA drew the AFPC's attention to the fact that the world has effectively gone broke and that in Australia a recession is approaching at a frightfully menacing pace. ACA also drew the Commission's attention to the much publicised evidence of businesses of all sizes taking action to protect themselves from going under, which has seen a number of organisations shedding jobs or taking other measures to try and maintain as much of their workforce as possible, whilst remaining financially viable.
ACA's comments, which were taken out of context by the media, relate primarily to the matter of ensuring that child care workers are able to obtain and remain in employment. There is concern that incoming fair work laws could lead to large scale job losses with the government itself not only urging employers to do their best to retain their workers, but also urging unions and workers to show restraint in seeking pay rises.
Our industry's main concern is affordability, and how pressures on childcare centre affordability are feeding into ever-increasing vacancies in the large majority of locations around the country. Those vacancies, among other pressures, are already resulting in childcare centre job losses, in reductions in the amount of hours available for staff, and in reductions in new employment opportunities.
In light of the extraordinary economic circumstances we find ourselves in, which ACA asked to be taken into account in the AFPC's deliberations, ACA suggested that on this occasion, minimum wage levels should remain unchanged (if not reduced), or at the very least that whatever reasonable amount the Commission sees fit to award, be phased in over a period of three years.
ACA's interest is to protect jobs, not to harm them. ACA cares about jobs, and as such it is trying to convince the Commission to also protect jobs rather than harm them. In the end, a job at the same level of pay is better than no job at all.
Following the media scrutiny on our submission, Frank Cusmano did a radio interview with Brisbane's 4BC radio to outline the above issues. Click here to listen to it.
CHILDCARE HELP FOR BUSHFIRE AFFECTED FAMILIES
CCCAV Members in Metropolitan Melbourne suburbs and some rural have responded to the call for help to provide childcare for bushfire affected families. For information on the availability, families should call Early Childhood Programs on 1300 731 947.
On Tuesday 10th February, CCCAV in an effort to restore some level of normalcy and routine in the lives of the children affected by the bushfires, sent out a call for help to Members to identify and collate childcare availability. The response was nothing short of amazing.
By close of business the same day, CCCAV had collated a database of more than 800 immediately available long day childcare places in various age groups, days of the week, etc.
The database has currently exploded to 1185 childcare places immediately available in suburbs such as Whittington (in Geelong), Maidstone, Langwarrin, emerald, Chirnside Park, Mt Evelyn, Mooroolbark, Moonee Ponds, Cobram, Preston, Endeavour Hills, Doncaster East, Mulgrave and Berwick and many other suburbs.
CCCAV would like to thank all of the Members who responded so promptly.
CCCAV - YOUR PROACTIVE ASSOCIATION
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