Thousands of childcare staff, providers, parents and families, attended a demonstration at Leinster House today calling for increased funding for the sector.
The protest, which took place this morning and this afternoon, highlighting a shortfall in government funding for providers, comes as childcare workers across the State, starting from today, embark on three-day strike action to protest the “dire” situation the industry has found itself in.
The demonstration, organised by the Federation of Early Childhood Providers Ireland, called for proper detailed remissions advice for services offered, and for “respect and renumeration.” The protest heard that the roles of educators and managers were being “systematically undermined” by “laborious schemes and administration.”
Protestors held placards which called for “fair funding for all service types” and which carried the message, “Shame on you Minister O’Gorman” as they appealed for the right to engage with children as educators without “feeling constantly in fear of compliance” from work-related bodies such as Tusla.
“The public system in this country is top-heavy, and does not work on the ground, as we all know.
“We demand that the early childhood education sector be granted the respect it deserves through rules of engagement and a charter of rights, just like any other sector. It is time to stop the academics talking for us,” the protest heard.
Speaking today, Independent TD for Laois Offally, Carol Nolan, said the protest and strike action was the “inevitable result of a fundamental breakdown in trust” between providers and the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Roderic O’Gorman.
She said she was engaging with the Minister in order to prevent further strike action being taken by members of The Federation of Early Childhood Providers.
Deputy Nolan said the minister and the Department of Children have completely failed to address the ongoing concerns identified by providers in Laois and Offaly. She said that information provided to her by the Federation shows that at least 141 creches closed their doors across “almost every country” last year, and that a further 46 have so far closed this year.
“This very fact in and of itself should have provided the necessary wake-up call to the minister and the Department that a major crisis was brewing,” she said.
Today’s demonstration was organised by the Federation of Early Childhood Providers (FECP), who are calling for an increase of €138 million of government funding for the sector each year until 2028. The organisation says that unless changes are made to the core funding model, many providers will have to close.
“Unfortunately, as the Federation of Early Childhood Providers itself has said, they are being forced into this action reluctantly because of the fact that claims and promises made by the Department and by minister O’Gorman, are untrue and largely unmet,” Deputy Nolan said.
“The childcare providers I talk to are swamped in excessive amounts of bureaucracy and more often than not are running on fumes in terms of funding provision. These are the two major issues of concern that providers have identified and yet despite this there appears to be nothing of any constructive value coming from the minister or the Department to resolve these core issues,” she continued.
“Many parents with young children are under enough pressure in terms of accessing school transport, so this is the last thing they need on top of that. Regretfully however the providers have been left with no viable alternative because of government inaction.”
‘THEIR DOORS ARE SHUTTING ALL OVER THE COUNTRY’
Independent Cork TD Michael Collins has called for the resignation of the Minister regarding the matter, in the context of mounting closures. Speaking last week in the Dáil, he said he “fully supported” today’s action – as he blasted the Minister for being “oblivious to the childcare crisis,” claiming that the Minister had “absolutely ignored” pleas for help from those in the sector.
“I look at other areas where we have severe crises, like the early childcare sector. I accept that there are other factors involved in this. I attended a meeting in Cork recently. There is a crisis and there will be a peaceful protest next week that I fully support,” he said.
“Their doors are shutting all over the country because of costs and energy is certainly playing a big part in that. I will go as far as saying – and it is a different issue – that the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, Deputy Roderic O’Gorman, has absolutely ignored all of their pleas for help to keep their doors open,” Deputy Collins said.
“These are private individuals. In some cases, many of the women are telling me they go to their husbands to keep the business going every week and they are taking out of his income and his job.
“I was listening to several statements of the Minister, Deputy O’Gorman, and he is oblivious to the childcare crisis at this present time. Why they cannot keep the door open is mainly due to energy costs and other costs. He has to resign as Minister or be fired because he does not understand the crisis that is there at the moment. He keeps dreaming of figures out there that are not reaching the people on the ground. That is one of the issues.”
Minister for Children, Roderic O’Gorman, faced renewed criticism today for being “disconnected” to the issues facing early years education and childcare providers across the country.
Speaking at the protest outside the Dáil, Meath West TD Peadar Tóibín accused Minister O’Gorman of being “disconnected” to the difficult realities plaguing the sector, saying it was “rich” for the Minister to say a strike was unwarranted.
Minister O’Gorman said this month that he did not believe the strikes were necessary, stating:
“I don’t believe these sets of strikes are warranted. We’ve better pay for staff. We’ve cut the number of closures of childcare centres and we’ve cut the cost for parents. There’s a lot more work to do and I absolutely recognise that, but we’ve made great steps forward in the last three years.”
However, speaking today, Mr Tóibín of Aontú criticised the remarks.
“Minister Roderic O’Gorman has stated that this strike is not warranted. It’s a bit rich for a Minister who is on a salary of €183,000 a year to tell providers and staff of this sector, many of whom are on less than the minimum wage, that their strike is not necessary,” Mr Tóibín said.
“It’s a bit rich for Minister Roderic O’Gorman who is closing down hundreds of early years education and child care facilities to tell providers that a strike is not necessary, and to tell families who are going into personal debt just to stay afloat that their campaign is not necessary,” he added.
The TD said it was a case of “cosetted” Ministers being “well insulated from what its like to struggle to keep a business strangled with bureaucracy open.”
“These are ministers who don’t have to deal with a cost base that is radically increasing. Many Early Years services have not increased their fees since 2016. What would Roderic O’Gorman say if we reduced his wages to 2016 levels?” he said.
He also said it was also “rich” for a Minister who “states that he supports equality” to be “hammering” a mostly women-led childcare sector.
Following today’s protest, the Federation of Childhood Providers said the presence of those in attendance spoke “volumes” about an “unwavering commitment to a better early years sector.”
They said the large turnout showed “that we are not going away, we are united nationally and stand together for all,” adding:
“The fight for a better early years sector continues, and together, we will not give up until every single person receives the future in Early Years Education they deserve.”