Today the governments of Manitoba and Canada announced a new wage grid for early childhood educators across the province–a move CUPE Manitoba says will help address recruitment and retention challenges in child care centres.
“We are pleased to see both levels of government stepping up to provide support to some of Manitoba’s most important workers–those who care for our children,” says Gina McKay, President of CUPE Manitoba representing child care workers in 10 child care centres across Manitoba.
“This new funding will help ensure Manitobans who work as Early Childhood Educators receive much needed support, and serves as an excellent foundation to keep building a stronger child care system for everyone”.
The new funding will not only support existing ECEs, but helps advance career paths in the child care sector, with a front-line wage grid bump between 10% and 20% over last year.
CUPE Manitoba calls on child care employers to ensure this new wage funding flows as quickly as possible to the front-line to help support childcare workers today.
“We have seen in the past some employers at child care facilities withhold wage funding to the point where we had to force payment to workers through the grievance process,” says McKay.
“We expect employers to meet with us as soon as possible so we can ensure it gets into child care workers’ hands right away.”