An increase in minimum pay rates for childcare providers has been formally approved by the Government, after months of campaigning for reform of the sector.
A crisis in the childcare sector has seen many providers struggling to retain staff, and parents to pay childcare fees, which have been commonly compared with having a second mortgage.
A Siptu survey indicated that almost 40% of workers in the early years childcare sector were actively seeking to leave the profession because of low pay.
