Childcare assistants employment conditions ‘verging on precarious employment’

The Malta Union of Teachers this morning wrote Education Minister Evarist Bartolo appealing for better working conditions of childcare assistants at the Foundation for Educational Services (FES).

“While the Union notes with satisfaction the growth of this sector in our country, it cannot understand how the FES, which is a Government entity and therefore should be a model employer, is employing Child Care Assistants with conditions similar to those in precarious employment,” the MUT said.

The Union stated that the conditions of this grade were so terrible that at the first opportunity, the assistants were leaving the centre to the detriment of the centre itself and the children.

It said that such conditions not only included dismal remuneration but a series of other issues which need tackling at the earliest. These include exploitation of working hours and frequent changes in shifts especially since Child Care Assistants are considered part-timers but are still subject to the system of rotation of hours.

The MUT appealed to the government to invest properly in childcare centres by adhering to the first principle of any educational and formational institution, which is proper conditions and treatment to its frontline employees.