The members of constituency Labour parties and unions across the country voted in favour of a motion calling for a cash injection for nurseries and childminders, who would then have to commit to providing affordable and flexible childcare and payment of the Real Living Wage to all staff.
The call for a cash injection for the sector echoes a letter sent to the children and families minister Vicky Ford by the Post Pandemic Childcare coalition in February.
Addressing the conference, Kezia Coleman from Kingston and Surbiton, spoke about the need for a change to the system to help address the gender pay gap and ‘motherhood penalty’. She said, ‘The UK has the second most expensive childcare system in the world. Many women see their pay cheques wiped out, just to remain in the workforce.’
Attendees of the virtual conference, which took place last weekend, also showed support for reform to early years funding so that settings get direct payment from the Department for Education, as schools do, to cover the ‘actual costs’ of staff and overheads.
Chioma Mgbeokwere from Salford and Eccles told delegates, ‘Families continue to cry out for high-quality childcare that is affordable and accessible. The current funding system is failing our childcare providers, families, education and communities.’
Mariam Rasekh from Bethnal Green and Bow warned of the ‘impending childcare crash’. She blamed the closures of settings on the impact of the pandemic and the ‘chronic underfunding' of the 15 and 30 hours.
She explained, ‘The Tories don’t care about the crash of these settings. They are happy for multinational chains that already dominate the childcare market to consolidate their portfolios. They don’t care about the impact on early years workers or parents struggling with no affordable childcare option left. They don’t care about gender equality and they don’t care about children.’
It comes after Ofsted figures earlier this month revealed more than 2,500 childcare providers have closed in England this year.
The passed motions and conference discussion will be used to inform and influence the shadow cabinet and future manifestos.
Commenting on the motions, the Post Pandemic Childcare coalition of independent and non-profit nurseries, early years workers, and parent campaigners, said, ‘Successive Governments have failed women – who undertake the majority of unpaid or underpaid childcare work.
'Instead of investing in nursery settings and the workforce, they have relied on the market to provide, which, along with underfunding, has now led to the current crisis. We urgently need to come together, to demand the Government invest in childcare as essential social infrastructure.
'It’s great to see these issues raised by women at this national conference. We hope other political parties will follow suit and back these demands, and invite all who want to fight for a better deal for workers, parents and children to get in touch with us.'
