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United Workers Union cancels plans to stage national childcare centre walkout

In what will come as a relief for parents scrambling to make alternative plans, early childhood educators have cancelled their plans to stop work next week.

Childcare markets not delivering for Australia’s most vulnerable

A major union has backed down in its bid to force the federal government to lift childcare workers’ wages, cancelling next week’s national walkout.

In what will come as a relief for parents scrambling to make alternative plans, early childhood educators affiliated with United Workers Union will no longer walk off the job on Friday March 8.

The stop-work action was expected to shut down more than 1000 childcare centres across the country, but on Wednesday night union members voted to “postpone” under the belief there has been “significant progress” in pay negotiations.

However, the union hasn’t ruled out a rescheduled walkout if they deem “progress is too slow”.

The union is demanding a pay rise for childcare workers of 25 per cent, calling on the Albanese government to foot the bill rather than employers – and in turn, parents.

The United Workers Union represents a myriad of different jobs, including early childhood educators and school cleaners. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift
The United Workers Union represents a myriad of different jobs, including early childhood educators and school cleaners. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Swift

Late last year the Fair Work Commission approved an application for multi-employer bargaining, allowing the sector to negotiate directly with the federal government as a third-party funder.

Until recently the UWU claimed the government was not coming to the table, a position which changed following a multi-employer bargaining meeting last Friday.

Early education director Helen Gibbons said union members were giving the government “on last chance” to improve wages in the sector.

“If the Government response takes too long, educators are ready and willing to stop centres across every state and territory until they get the pay rise they deserve,” she said.

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Original URL: https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/new-south-wales-education/early-education/united-workers-union-cancels-plans-to-stage-national-childcare-centre-walkout/news-story/7248467df69f8a4f0972ece01ccb2117