Early child care workers face a crisis in Saskatchewan as the Conservative Sask Party, led by Scott Moe, refuses to properly fund the federal $10/day child care program. Centres are being forced to charge additional fees to parents while the government is claiming they are providing $10 a day child care. The Sask Party government claims childcare centres need to make cuts but when laws require a certain level of care be provided, it is a slap to the face of educators. ECE’s already lack a wage grid common to other teachers but now face worsening conditions of centres cutting health benefits and sick pay, or losing their jobs permanently due to closures.
An ECE worker at an emergency meeting in Saskatoon stated to a room full of ECE’s, they should consider ECE’s walk off the job for one day across Saskatchewan resulting in thousands of parents missing work. They followed this up by asking if ECE’s need to get unionised to work together. The worker prefaced it by saying “maybe only a one-day strike to make a point”, but this still shows this worker’s consciousness is moving towards the need to fight against a system that doesn’t represent their interests.
An ECE’s strike with a leadership willing to fight to win would send waves, not just because of them walking off the job but through the thousands of other workers who would have to stay home or join them. It would be an important lesson on who really maintains the system that is attacking them. Politicians like Scott Moe continue to lose credibility as the crisis of capitalism reveals the bankruptcy of their position and only a class perspective can provide a solution to the crisis facing the working class in Saskatchewan.
– Troy T., Regina
