Wollongong early childhood educator Sarah Denaro couldn’t make it to the nation’s capital on Wednesday.
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But nothing will stop her joining her national counterparts when they walk-off the job on September 5.
Hundreds of early childhood educators marched on Parliament House on Wednesday to announce they were making equal pay an election issue.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull was too busy trying to save his job, but some politicians, including Labor leader Bill Shorten and his deputy Tanya Plibersek met with the educators and their union representatives from United Voice.
It was at this stage that United Voice assistant national secretary Helen Gibbons announced the sector’s “wages crisis” was driving educators to walk off for the fourth time in 18 months.
A number of Illawarra childhood educators joined forces with their national counterparts in March this year to lead the biggest early education walk off in Australian history.
They then rallied in Wollongong to demand the government sit up and take notice and fund equal pay for educators.
The anger and frustration about government inaction on equal pay was clear to see at the “Big Steps Big Walk Off” Wollongong march and rally at McCabe Park.
Sarah Denaro, who is second in charge at Boombalee Kidz in Wollongong was not part of the group that walked off.
But her boss Kathy Patrick was. She told the crowd the time for playing nice was over.
Some five months later, Miss Denaro is in total agreement with her fellow childhood educator.
“It seems walking off is the only way politicians are going to sit up and take notice,” she said.
“We need to make them realsie that Australia basically can’t function well without us because parents won’t be able to go to work.”
We need to make them realsie that Australia basically can’t function well without us.
- Sarah Denaro
Miss Denaro said parents supported educators stance, which was very important.
“Knowing they support us is what allows us to walk off,” she said.
“We just want what we deserve. I had two work two jobs when I first started just to make ends meet. It shouldn’t be like that for a skilled workforce.”
Ms Gibbons added educators are left with no choice but to take the issue of equal pay to the streets and voting booths.
“Enough is enough. The government isn’t listening. They’ve ignored educators for too long,” she said.
“They’ve ignored the sector’s wage crisis for too long. We’re walking off and we’re mobilising across the country to put a government that won’t support us out of office.”