The most experienced teachers working in a NSW school are currently paid $122,100 a year, while the maximum pay for a preschool teacher is $87,000. Childcare providers in Australia have been experiencing staff shortages, with an estimated 11,000 daycare places going unfilled nationally due to the lack of staff. Union member Melinda Gambley, who has worked in preschools in the Lismore area for 21 years, highlighted the issue. She explained that many staff members are leaving the early childhood education sector because they cannot earn a wage that covers their living expenses.
Phillipa Maher, another union member with 35 years of experience in early childhood education, emphasized the need to boost workforce numbers to meet the demand for preschool places. The NSW Government recently committed to fast-tracking the building of 100 new preschools attached to schools across the state. However, Maher stated that the demand still exceeds the supply and that the union is seeking pay parity for preschool workers, given their qualifications and responsibilities. She noted that increasing wages for preschool workers could help address the workforce crisis in the sector.
Preschool workers in NSW are seeking a significant pay rise, with the union representing them requesting a boost above 25 per cent from the Minns government. Paramedics received a substantial pay increase last December, ranging from 11 to 29 per cent, and public sector workers were offered a one-year 4 per cent pay rise. Graduate teachers also saw their pay rise by over 10 per cent. The NSW firefighters’ union is currently seeking a 20 per cent pay rise from the government. The government has set aside $3.6 billion to fund public sector wage rises, acknowledging the importance of fair pay for workers.
The union representing NSW preschool workers plans to use newly created federal supported bargaining provisions to negotiate with the government for a pay rise. The provisions are designed to assist employers and employees who have not successfully bargained at the enterprise level to negotiate as a group. A spokesman for Education and Early Learning Minister Prue Car expressed support for the important work of early childhood educators and indicated that the NSW Government is willing to consider fair wage increases for these workers. However, the claim for a pay rise has not yet been lodged in the Fair Work Commission, and the government is waiting to see how the case progresses.
In conclusion, the early childhood education sector in NSW is facing a workforce crisis due to staff shortages and low wages for preschool workers. The union representing preschool workers is seeking a significant pay rise to address the issue and ensure that staff members can afford their living expenses. The NSW Government has committed to building more preschools to meet the demand for places, but there is still a need to boost workforce numbers. With the support of the government and the use of supported bargaining provisions, preschool workers are hopeful that they will see fair wage increases to recognize their qualifications and the importance of their work in the community.
