Palma childcare: unions demand urgent nursery talks

Unions in Palma, Mallorca, are demanding urgent negotiations on education and care for children aged 0 to 3. La Xarxa 0-3, CCOO, UGT and STEI want a dedicated bargaining table. Their call comes on 18 September after PSIB put forward an amendment to the Capital City Law.

The amendment would put the talks on a legal footing, provide stable public funding and improve working and educational conditions in the escoletes, the centres for the youngest children. The groups say the proposal takes up a long-standing demand from across the sector: that early-years education is treated as a fundamental educational stage, not a care service pushed behind other priorities.

They describe the sector as being at a “key moment”. In their view, a clear legal and funding framework is needed to address long-running imbalances.

The proposed table would seek genuinely free childcare, the future of public centres and their complementary network, and equal working conditions for professionals. La Xarxa 0-3 says the quality of early education depends on giving proper recognition to the women who care for and educate children in their first years.

The organisations have urged all political parties to back the table. They say precarious conditions particularly affect women working in escoletes, who currently fall under the XIII national collective agreement for childcare and early education centres and the III Menorca island-sector agreement for 0-to-3 schools.

Topics: Jobs & labour

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com