Nationwide childcare centre strike: SA closures

Dozens of childcare centres will be closed today in a national strike over a union pay dispute. See the list of impacted centres.

Dozens of childcare centres across South Australia will partially shut today in a national strike action addressing what workers are calling a “crisis” in the industry.

The 36 centres participating in the strike involve up to 250 United Workers Union members in the state protesting staffing shortages and demanding a pay rise.

The SA closures are in both metropolitan and regional SA including Angle Vale, Brompton, Kadina and more.

Nationally, thousands of educators and hundreds of centres will close early in the action.

Helen Gibbons, Director of Early Education in the United Workers Union said members were committed to fight for reform.

“After nearly a decade of inaction from the previous government, the early education sector is in crisis,” Ms Gibbons said.

Hundreds of childcare centres are set to close nationwide. Picture: AndreaObzerova/iStock

“There are thousands of staff vacancies across the country and centres are turning away children because they don’t have enough staff.

“The new Federal Government must urgently take concrete steps to address the workforce crisis in early education and reform the sector.”

The South Australian rally will begin at 3pm from Parliament House, with hundreds of people expected to march to Elder Park.

Director for Hillbank Community Children’s Centre, Rebecca Stiles, said the centre would be closed today and 23 staff would participate in the march, with 50 children having to stay home.

“It’s pretty tough at the moment, we struggle to find staff particularly in relief staff which is a major part of a the crisis in the sector across the country,” Mrs Stiles said.

“And the pay doesn’t help … the reason that we’re walking off today is about pay and conditions, so the pay for a lot of workers is really low which doesn’t help attracting people to the sector as well.

“It’s also about gaining respect for what we do, we are educators, we have an education curriculum we have to abide by… but we don’t feel like we’re respected as educators.”

Workers are paid as little as $24 an hour, she said.

“I’ve been in the industry for 27 years and I think this is probably the worst I’ve felt,” Mrs Stiles said.

Approximately 70,000 families across the country will be impacted by the strike.

Members are calling for action on three key priorities including a pay rise, to “value early learning as part of the education system”, and to put “children before profit”.