The campaign seeks a better deal for the more than 8 out of 10 Usdaw members who are juggling work with caring for children and/or an adult.
This year’s spotlight day theme is ‘Overstretched’ and focuses on the difficulties working parents face accessing affordable childcare to fit around their hours of work. An Usdaw survey of over 2,000 members illustrates the scale of the problem:
- 87% said that the cost of formal childcare was too high.
- 70% of parents have difficulties finding childcare that fitted around their work, with 11% saying it was impossible.
- 50% of eligible parents had not heard of free childcare for 2-year-olds.
The survey also confirmed the crucial role grandparents play plugging the gaps in formal childcare and enabling parents to go out to work.
Usdaw argues that the latest Government changes to childcare support for Universal Credit claimants go nowhere near far enough to make a real difference to low-paid working parents. Usdaw’s aims for this year’s spotlight day are to:
- Highlight the failures of the current system of support to meet workers’ needs.
- Raise awareness of existing childcare entitlements and parental rights at work.
- Acknowledge the crucial role grandparents play caring for grandchildren.
Paddy Lillis – Usdaw General Secretary says: “Thousands of Usdaw reps and activists across the UK are organising local workplace events to promote this year’s Parents and Carers Spotlight Day theme of ‘Overstretched’; reflecting the pressures working parents and grandparents are under and highlighting the fact that the childcare system is in crisis.
“The Conservative changes to Universal Credit are simply not enough to address the childcare crisis. The Government has again failed to recognise the realities parents face juggling work and caring responsibilities. They are piling pressure on a broken system and they have no plan to increase the workforce, who are so critical to delivering any expansion of childcare.
“Many working parents are unable to find formal, affordable childcare that fits around atypical working patterns that are common in sectors we organise, like retail and distribution. Most of our members rely on a patchwork of care between paid nurseries and childminders, after school clubs, along with informal arrangements with grandparents and other family members.
“Single parents, disabled parents and parents of disabled children, parents of families with three or more children and parents living in relatively low income households are disproportionately affected by the absence of affordable childcare that fits in with their working patterns and hours.
“Understanding childcare options in the UK is difficult and confusing. Over half of working parents don’t know what they are entitled to or how to go about claiming, so we are raising awareness with our members. Usdaw is also pressing for a modern childcare system with affordable, accessible, wraparound childcare provision that supports working parents from the end of their maternity and paternity leave right through to the end of their child’s time at school.”
Notes for editors:
Usdaw (Union of Shop, Distributive and Allied Workers) is the UK's fifth biggest trade union with over 350,000 members. Most Usdaw members work in the retail sector, but the union also has many members in transport, distribution, food manufacturing, chemical industry and other trades www.usdaw.org.uk
Usdaw’s Supporting Parents and Carers campaign: https://www.usdaw.org.uk/Campaigns/Supporting-Parents-Carers
Understanding Free Childcare Entitlements: www.usdaw.org.uk/460
For Usdaw press releases visit: http://www.usdaw.org.uk/news and you can follow us on Twitter @UsdawUnion