Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)

Community child care workers have seen their hours of work reduced while others have been or are being made redundant. Government funding to child care programmes was cut by a colossal 24% in 2010. This presents real challenges to the workers concerned and to those who depend on the community sector for their child care needs.

Obviously disadvantaged areas figure largely in this category but this is not exclusively within disadvantaged areas. SIPTU currently has an active campaign on this issue, seeking collective bargaining rights for child care workers in the community sector. I am appealing not only to the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, which I have already done, and to the Minister of State himself, but to the Government to engage positively with SIPTU and with all concerned to help ensure decent pay and conditions for child care workers, the best possible continuing care for children and support for parents - support needed, all too sadly, today more than ever.

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