Cumberland Council reinstates nappy allowance after it was cut
There has been outrage after childcare workers from a western Sydney council had an allowance to cover changing nappies cut. Now the mayor has stepped in over the issue.
Parramatta
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Cumberland Council has suffered a $6.4 million deficit over the past financial year but it was “mortified” an extra allowance that childcare workers receive for changing nappies was cut.
The bonus will be reinstated after Mayor Steve Christou was alerted to the extra duty allowance being cut when a resident notified him.
“I was mortified when I learned this,’’ Cr Christou said.
“This is going too far. Our childcare workers carry a very important responsibility. Reducing the nappy allowance is not the answer to fixing Cumberland’s overall budget problems.’’
About $61,000 has been back paid to childcare workers.
The nappy allowance is awarded to workers because it is deemed an “adverse working condition’. It is paid per hour and is capped weekly.
But cleaning human waste wasn’t the only issue on the nose at a council meeting last week when a publication from the United Services Union was circulated.
The letter stated that council had elected to axe childcare jobs — a statement the council has rejected.
“Council has not formally considered any savings measures and no decisions have been made,’’ Cr Christou said.
The childcare information was discussed at a January 14 workshop with councillors and the executive team at Windsor.
The council denies childcare services would be cut and wants to find out who the whistleblowing councillor was that leaked the information to the union.
Cr Ned Attie labelled the leak “distasteful”.
“Someone in this room went out and gave information to a body,’’ he said.
“Yes, we did discuss a lot of things, a lot of options as well, but to make only one conclusion that we’re going to close the childcare services down, I think is very piss-weak and poor.’’
The council will investigate the leak.