- Published:
- Thursday 26 November 2020
An in-principle agreement has been reached on Victoria’s early childhood enterprise agreements.
Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt welcomed the milestone – an important step towards a better deal for early childhood teachers and educators.
The proposed agreements deliver salary increases and improved career progression – recognising the importance of early childhood teachers and educators, with the aim to attract and retain a high-qualified and dedicated early childhood workforce.
The Municipal Association of Victoria, Early Learning Association Australia and the Australian Education Union worked collaboratively to negotiate the agreements, which provides a range of benefits for employees.
The enterprise agreement employee ballot and Fair Work Commission approval processes will proceed over the coming weeks.
The Victorian Government is investing $92.4 million in the early childhood workforce towards supporting, training and recruiting the teachers and educators we need.
In an Australian-first, the Victorian Government is investing $5 billion over this decade to deliver two years of funded kindergarten for all Victorian children, with the reform underway in six local government areas this year.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Early Childhood Ingrid Stitt
“We know how important the early years of education is for children – that’s why we are investing in the teachers and educators who teach our youngest learners.”
“This outcome recognises the hard-work of the early childhood workforce and supports services to continue to deliver high-quality early learning across the Education State.”
“Congratulations to the parties involved for reaching this outcome, which fairly remunerates our early childhood workforce, supports services and boosts the quality of education and care for Victorian families.”