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Issue No 110 | ![]() |
07 September 2001 |
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NewsChronic Stress in Child Care
Savage cuts in child care funding have resulted in chronic overwork and stress amongst child care workers, according to a new survey conducted by the Municipal Employees Union. MEU General Secretary Brian Harris has warned that the deteriorating situation could lead to industrial action by child care workers. "They are desperate to draw the public's attention to an increasingly unmanageable situation."
The survey findings were officially released this week by MEU General Secretary Brian Harris at the Earlwood Childrens Centre.
"Between 1996 and 2000 the Howard Government stripped $850 million from the child care budget. Those lost funds have directly resulted in child care centre closures, overworked staff and under-resourced centres", Mr. Harris said. The survey of workers employed in local government child care centres found that over 86% of workers said they had too much work to handle in standard working hours, and nearly 60% regularly worked unpaid overtime. "Caring for children under five is demanding and we all know their needs are immediate. Many tasks just have to be picked up at the end of the normal working day", Mr Harris said. The survey also found that child care workers suffered from depression and anxiety as a result of their increased workload. 59% of workers believe that reduced funding restricted the ability to offer a creative environment for children and 68% believe that decreased funding regularly impacted negatively on the ability to operate a service. "This is a disgraceful legacy of the Howard Government's commitment to child care and families in general", Mr. Harris said.
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