Kathleen Funchion presses for better pay in early years sector

I'm taking this on behalf of Deputy Carthy and it's to ask the Minister for Children in relation to the proposals to improve pay and conditions of professionals in the early years childcare sector. Thanks. Thanks Deputy. I will expand on what I said to Deputy Tully there a moment ago in the context of answering this. So look, I'm very conscious of the need for a significant improvement in the pay and working conditions for staff in the early learning and childcare sector. The level of pay they receive does not reflect the value of the work they do for children, for families and for the wider society and the economy. And as the State does not employ staff in the early learning and childcare sector, the Deputy will appreciate that my department cannot set pay or determine working conditions. But my department has, over a number of years, provided a range of supports to early learning and childcare employers to enable them to improve pay and working conditions. There have also been some important developments currently underway. So in December of last year, I began a process to examine the possibility of regulating the pay and conditions of employment and staff, of staff in early learning and childcare sector and to examine the suitability of establishing a joint labour committee for the sector in line with a programme for government commitment. And arising from this process, I'm pleased to confirm that the Minister for State, for Business, Employment and Retail has signed an establishment order for a joint labour committee and this order came into effect on 1 July and has been laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. And once established, a joint labour committee could lead to an employment regulation order, which would establish binding rates of pay and working conditions for the sector. And I regard the establishment of that joint labour committee as a significant and very welcome development. I think it will help vindicate the positions of those who work in the early learning and childcare sector and that it offers a way forward to an issue that I know successive ministers have been dealing with for many years. And I know the move to establish the JLC was welcomed both by unions but also by employer representatives. But as I said earlier on, work is also progressing on the new funding model. The recommendations of the dedicated expert group are due later this year and they'll be central to addressing the issue of affordability but also quality. And the expert group's draft guiding principles will underpin a new funding model to recognise the importance of the workforce in developing quality services. And finally work on the workforce development plan continues and we expect the final output by the end of the year. Deputy Funchaor Thank you, Senator Funders. I suppose funnily enough yesterday, as people who are Facebook users will know, when your memories come up on Facebook, We passed unanimously in the Dáil, a motion that I brought forward in relation to the pay and conditions for those working in the early years sector. Minister Abbott will probably remember that, and some of the others who were here at the time. So it would be good to see progress on this issue all those years later, and obviously they were waiting long before they ever put that motion in. I suppose in relation to the JLC, is there any, would you have, maybe you don't have any updates in relation to that, but for our timeframes, or exactly how that's progressing, or is there a definite timeframe for that? It would just be interesting to get the opportunity to hear about that if you have that information. Thanks. Antaro. Antaro. Thanks, Deputy. And look, no, it is good that we've been able to make this amount of significant progress, and I think particularly after a year where we've seen childcare professionals step up so bravely and so consistently across the country, particularly last January when so many others weren't working. So it is a fairly intricate process, so the order to establish the JLC has been laid before the houses of the Oireachtas. So now the Labour Court will establish the JLC and then the parties to the JLC agree proposals for an employment regulation order and they submit proposals to the Labour Court. There has to be at least a six-month gap between the ERO submissions. The Labour Court then publishes a draft employment regulation order and a public consultation on that takes place, and where the JLC can't agree on a proposal and the chairperson feels the issue cannot be resolved by the chairperson, the issue is referred to the Labour Court itself, the Labour Court will have a hearing and will make recommendations. Thank you, Mr. and I think that's the outcome of what happens next. I believe function. No, I just, just to reiterate, I suppose, it is really important that we do address the issue of the pay and conditions in the early year sector. I think it's like genuinely is one of the most difficult jobs and it's something, you know, that you just entrust your children to people who are excellent and I often wonder what their trick or skill is in relation to getting children to do certain tasks that I certainly struggle to get my kids to do as a parent. So, you know, it really is, it's an invaluable role and what, like, they don't want to actually hear that this kind of, you know, sympathetic talk, really how you value somebody is in their wages and you show them that and as someone who worked in a trade union, I would very much believe that, that, you know, you can have all the claps and the well done and that's great and that's, you know, sometimes there's a role for that, but certainly at the end of the day, if you really want to show that your workers and the workforce that you value them, it's, you show it in the wages and to ensure that everyone has a decent wage and just to make the point, okay, sorry, I think my next question is very similar, so. And Tara to conclude. Thanks, Laskin and Carla. Well, look, I fully agree with the deputy. I'm very pleased that the, we're in the position to start that process of giving that very justified recognition and as you say, praise is all well and good, but it's a financial recognition and it's one I think we all accept and recognise that that is, that is well deserved. I think there's a number of processes coming together now in terms of the JLC process that I've established, in terms of the expert group on the funding model that Minister DePone established and will be reporting later this year in terms of the workforce development plan, but also in terms of the review of the operating model that I initiated. So looking at the kind of the infrastructure that oversees childcare across the country and that will also be reporting later this year. So I would hope with that vision in mind, the first five strategy that will have doubled the amount we're spending in childcare by 2028, I'm hoping that these various reports will give us the information, give us the database upon which to make some significant decisions as regards funding and structure going into the future. Thank you. Thank you. Moving on.