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Barracks childcare underminedDate: 19 June 2005
The LHMU Child Care Union has called on Australia's biggest corporate child care operator - ABC Learning Centres - not to reduce standards at their newly acquired Defence Barracks child care centres. " We're insisting that the company maintain quality standards. We want them to urgently sit down with the union and properly discuss hand over arrangements," Ron Monaghan, LHMU Queensland Branch Secretary said today. Dedicated childcare professionals working in childcare centres at more than 20 Australian Defence Barracks across the country, may, because of the stand they have taken on behalf of parents, lose their jobs on July 1, Ron Monaghan warned.
Promises to parents and workforce not metWhen the Australian Government's Department of Defence opened up tenders for the provision of child care services they did it on the basis that all staff would be offered employment with the new employer. The Department also promised the same remuneration and conditions, including standards of delivery. (Letter sent to parents and staff by Janet Stodulka, Director-General, Defence Community Organisation dated April 21 2005)These professionals have banded together and told the "for-profit" childcare giant taking over the centres that they refuse to allow the corporation to reduce any conditions and particularly the quality of care.
Join the LHMU Child Care Union todayThe contract for the centres, which till now have been in a long running contract with KU Children's Services supplying quality child care to defence force families for the last 7 years, will now go to Australia's fastest growing for-profit childcare corporation - ABC Learning Centres. Ron Monaghan says ABC have "offered employment on contracts that exclude paid working time for childcare professionals to plan developmental programs that go to the heart of quality childcare issues." Parents disappointed that assurances now being ignoredCarly Postill, a wife of a Department of Defence employee and a mother of a child at one of the centres, today expressed how she felt about the situation:"I am extremely disappointed that assurances from Department of Defence that "standards and quality" would be upheld, appear to have been ignored. " The parents raised these concerns, about standards and quality with the Department and were told that all standards, such as non-contact time and planning time would remain.
Account for the extra profits being made from the children" I believe that reductions in these standards will have a huge impact on the care of children."I feel that I have been mislead and I and other parents are appalled. " In my view ABC needs to be held accountable for what the childcare professionals consider to be the extreme pressure that removing or changing these standards will put on staff and the quality of care. They also need to account for, the no doubt, extra profit that they will make from these kids," Ms Postill said.
Significant pressure not to speak outChild care employees have reported to the LHMU Child Care Union that they have come under significant pressure not to make any comments to the media. Some Department of Defence employees have also reported being gagged by top brass.Liz Coffey, the LHMU organiser who has been working closely with LHMU members at the centres said: "At first they wouldn't let the union into the staff meetings but when staff insisted that I be there or there wouldn't be a meeting they had to let me in," Liz Coffey said. "I heard ABC management promise to keep standards such as non-contact time and programming time as conditions of the employment, but now they are refusing to put these conditions into staff contracts."
Childcare professionals face losing their jobs in two weeks timeQueensland LHMU Branch Secretary, Ron Monaghan, said LHMU childcare professionals have enormous difficulty signing these contracts." Staff are continuing to refuse to sign the contract with ABC as they reduce a child care professional's ability to provide quality care to the children of Australia's bravest workers - the defenders of our nation, our Defence personnel. " Those that are refusing face no job when ABC takes over in two weeks. It's just right out of line. " If any parents deserve the right to be comfortable about the care of their kids it's our Defence personnel," Ron Monaghan, said. Parents at these centres are extremely upset about the situation, for example as one parent, Murray Craze, commented: "ABC's treatment and attitude towards the staff undermines the current values and approach that make (the centre)...such an ideal environment for our children."
Further comment:LHMU - Ron Monaghan - 0407 654 046 LHMU - Michael de Brenni - 0408 787 791 Parent - Murray Craze - 07 3332 7541
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