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While wage increase announcement is welcomed, VECTEA is left behind
Freya Lucas
Aug 19, 2024
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The recent announcement of a 15 per cent wage increase for certain segments of the early childhood education and care (ECEC) sector has been welcomed as a groundbreaking piece of advocacy and lobbying by peak bodies and unions, however it is important to recognise that some segments of the sector have been left behind.
In a recent communication to its members the Early Learning Association Australia (ELAA) highlighted the position of those who manage state-funded standalone kindergarten programs in Victoria, who will not be included in the increase. The funding mechanism for the wage increase centres on grants for those services who are eligible for Child Care Subsidy (CCS), and will be known as the ECEC Worker Retention Payment. The payment will also be only open to those who engage staff through a workplace instrument that meets grant conditions (such as multi-enterprise bargaining agreement (MEB) with the Federal Government, as outlined in Annexure A of this document) or an equivalent enterprise agreement (EBA). The wage increase will not apply, in the first instance, to long day care educators employed under the modern awards, including the Children's Services Award 2010. State-funded standalone kindergartens are also not eligible to access this federal government wage grant, as it only applies to CCS-funded services. Educators who deliver a funded 3-year-old or 4-year-old kindergarten program under the Victorian Early Childhood Teachers and Educators Agreement (VECTEA) are not eligible to receive this wage grant. The 2024 renegotiation process is currently underway for VECTEA, leaving ELAA interim CEO Tim Watts to make the following comment, in response to member questions about whether or not these agreements would take into consideration the recent wage rise for long day care colleagues. “With the implementation of Free Kinder, the Victorian Government has taken on 100% of funding responsibility for most ELAA members' kindergarten services,” Mr Watts said. “Therefore, wage outcomes in the VECTEA 2024 will depend on Victorian Government funding decisions. ELAA is committed to ongoing and positive negotiations with the Victorian Department of Education and the relevant sector unions.” Mr Watts confirmed the following goals for ELAA in this negotiation space:- To achieve wage and funding increases for kindergartens which allow services to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce and maintain quality, and;
- To improve the VECTEA agreement to make the conditions under which ELAA members employ their workforce simpler and fairer.
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