Hundreds of childcare facilities are closed for the day as staff stage a protest over pay and conditions in the sector.
Up to 10,000 workers, parents and providers are expected to take part in a march in Dublin this afternoon, while a local protest is planned in Letterkenny.
Childcare workers are due to stage a protest outside Donegal County Childcare Committee at 11.30am.
The demonstrations centre around underfunding and poor terms and conditions of the childcare sector. Workers and childcare centre owners say that they want change to gain increased funding, a single compliance agency and better pay, terms and conditions for staff.
Senator Padraig Mac Lochlainn, who will join the Letterkenny protest, said:
“Years of underinvestment in the sector by successive governments has resulted in soaring costs for parents, administrative burdens for providers and shamefully low pay for workers.
“The reality is the new National Childcare Scheme will not significantly reduce childcare costs for parents or address the fundamental flaws in Ireland’s system of childcare delivery. It will merely tinker around the edges of a broken system.
“Pay remains low for those working in the sector with many having to sign-on during the summer months. Administration of funding, inspections, quality assurance and oversight are onerous and fragmented as early years’ service providers have to liaise with three separate state agencies.”
Senator MacLochlainn said his party, Sinn Féin, will establish a single early years and school-age agency with responsibility for all aspects of funding, oversight, planning, and administration providing. He said the plan would guarantee childcare workers an entry level Living Wage and will cut fees by two-thirds for parents.
He said: “Parents are spending up to 12% of their disposable income on childcare and for low income and lone parent families the picture is even bleaker. They can pay between 16 and 20 per cent for a single child.
“Sinn Féin plan includes a transformational five-year programme of childcare reform that will cut fees by two-thirds for parents. That would put €466 back in the pocket every month for a family in Donegal.”
