Berlin – Hectic search for emergency care for 32,000 daycare children. Because Verdi and GEW are calling on educators to go on strike in the 282 city daycare centers from Monday.
“Well over ten percent of places are offered in emergency care, but also well below 100 percent,” said Education Senator Katharina Günther-Wünsch (41, CDU) in parliament on Thursday. Daycare center management is in discussions with parents about the details.
“This is a catastrophe for the families affected,” said board member Guido Lange (49) from the state parents’ committee to BILD. According to his information, the Berlin-Nord-Ost company can still occupy 64 percent of the places from Monday. Especially for children with special needs, in the adjustment phase, from single parents.
Die Trade unions are calling for a collective agreement or other agreements for better working conditions, smaller daycare groups and other relief for employees.
At the beginning of June, striking daycare teachers marched in front of the House of Representatives. How long the current strike will last is unclear (archive photo)
Photo: Britta Pedersen/dpa
With a fact check, Senator Günther-Wünsch wanted to reveal these claims as completely exaggerated:
► In municipal daycare centers there are 5.2 children per teacher (5.3 for independent providers).
► Staffing in municipal daycare centers is 119 percent of the requirement (104 percent for independent providers). Even if vacancies due to employment bans for pregnant women (1.2 percent), long-term sick people (1.9 percent) or parental leave (3.4 percent) are taken into account, the provision is still more than 100 percent.
Senator for Education Katharina Günther-Wünsch
Photo: Carsten Koall/dpa
► It is already calculated that a full-time employee only spends 66 percent of their working time with children – 12 percent is intended for documentation such as the language learning diary and 22 percent for vacation and sick days.
“Nobody said that the daycare situation was rosy”
The senator: “No one has claimed that the daycare situation is rosy, but I object to the claim of a wildfire.” She also rejected a division of the daycare landscape into independent and municipal providers. 700 parents are said to have already given notice in order to change.
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The CDU politician calculated that Verdi’s demands for smaller daycare groups would require an additional 4,000 staff. For comparison: There are currently 31,000 full-time positions in Berlin daycare centers, 6,000 of which are in city facilities.
The Senate takes legal action against Verdi and the Strike not out – and parental support is definitely desired in the kindergartens on strike.
