10,000 postcards send education message in Manitoba

Early childhood educators tell provincial government they face major problems

Winnipeg - The Manitoba Government and General Employees Union (MGEU/NUPGE) has delivered 10,000 postcards to the province's family services minister as a way of focusing attention on the plight of early childhood educators (ECEs) in the province.

The postcards were taken to the legislature on March 16 and delivered in a red wagon, a picnic basket and a baby carriage by MGEU president Peter Olfert and dozens of MGEU members representing ECEs throughout Manitoba.

The postcard campaign was launched to bring about changes to the current child care system – including bargaining with ECEs around a common negotiating table.

“The ECEs who care, nurture, and educate tens of thousands of Manitoba children are leaving the early childhood education system in droves because of substandard wages and poor benefits,” says Olfert.

“Ensuring that children get the education and care they need in their most formative years is a goal I know all Manitobans share. We must address the ongoing workforce issues faced by ECEs or face the prospect of watching the system deteriorate further.”

Most leave quickly

According to a recent national Child Care Human Resources Sector Council report, almost half of ECEs leave the child care profession for better paying jobs just two years after graduating from post-secondary school and almost 60% leave after five years on the job because of low wages, poor or non-existent benefits, and difficult working conditions.

After delivering the cards and meeting with Family Services Minister Christine Melnick, Olfert met reporters outside the minister’s office.

“We wanted to illustrate to the Minister that there is a major problem with recruiting and retaining people," he said. "That’s evident in the statistics.”

The MGEU is proposing a progressive plan of action based on the assumptions that (a) fair and appropriate compensation for those caring for Manitoba’s children remains a central factor in ensuring our province’s early childhood education system can meet the needs of families and children, and (b) the best way to make significant and ongoing improvements to salaries, benefits and working conditions of ECEs is for a union to negotiate with the key funder – the provincial government – around a common table on behalf of all those working in the field.

Olfert said that the Minister appeared open to the idea of negotiating. A meeting between the union, the Manitoba Child Care Association and the department of family services will be held in the near future. NUPGE

Web posted by NUPGE: 23 March 2005

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