Call for political parties to pledge action on nursery staff pay

In its election manifesto Voice said it wants to see the next government commission research into low pay among private sector childcare workers, pointing to recent research suggesting they are among the lowest paid workers in the country.

It wants the research to look into current pay and conditions of all early years workers so a national benchmark can be created.

"Qualified childcare professionals who have trained and undertaken academic and practical assessment are more likely to earn the minimum wage or a little above it for most of their career," the manifesto states. 

"Promotion opportunities are limited and often provide greater responsibility, which is not matched or reflected by the accompanying salary increase.

"There is no benchmark for terms and conditions of employment and salary against which private and voluntary sector childcare providers can compare or aspire to. 

Voice says low pay in the sector has become more pronounced in recent years due to low levels of funding for providers for free nursery entitlements for two- to four-year-olds.

It calls for the next government to use the Manpower Services Commission, Low Pay Unit, or a similar body to undertake this review after the general election.

Voice general secretary Deborah Lawson said: “Childcare workers are among the lowest paid in the country and their important role should be reflected in their pay and conditions.”

Support staff in schools have also had a raw deal in terms of pay in recent years, argues Voice.

Its manifesto calls for a national pay and conditions structure for all school support staff in recognition of their growing role over the last decade supporting teachers.

Voice argues that establishing such a pay structure for teaching assistants and other support staff has not been a priority for successive governments.

It says that, as a result, their pay and conditions have been allocated according to “market forces and affordability, rather than a true reflection of the worth and value of their qualifications, knowledge, experience and skill in complementing and supporting teaching and learning”.

The manifesto also calls on the next government to do more to ensure all school buildings are asbestos-free and staff and pupils are aware of the potential risks.

It calls for a national register of asbestos use in schools as many school staff are “unaware of the location of asbestos within their schools”.

Last week, the government published its review of the management of asbestos in schools and pledged to develop better guidance on asbestos management as well as continue to fund the removal of asbestos.

But the Joint Union Asbestos Committee, which Voice is a member of, said more needed to be done, and is calling for specific asbestos management inspections.