Councillor Chris Harris

Childcare is the biggest issue for working women with children.  The question is whether the City of Sydney council wants to or is prepared to deal with this issue.

In a motion put to Council, Councillor Harris is called on the City of Sydney to prepare a report to establish the feasibility of providing a crèche on site for the children of council staff.

“As one of Sydney’s major employers, the City of Sydney Council should be setting the example not lagging behind private enterprise in providing quality childcare facilities” according to Greens Councillor, Chris Harris.

“The greatest investment a society can make is in its children. Companies such as Lend Lease in the city, IBM at Pennant Hills and the NSW Police Headquarters at Parramatta realise this and are already leading the way with in-house childcare facilities” Cr. Harris said

“Since 1994 the Body Shop’s head office in Melbourne have had an 86-place childcare facility that provides care and education programs for children aged from birth to five. They also provide a special room with kitchenette and work station where a parent can spend the day with a sick child.

“The advantage for companies that provide childcare facilities is that their staff are more wiling to return to work earlier. There is a severe shortage of childcare places, especially in the 0-2 year group.  If mothers know they can breastfeed their babies at work and that they only have to make one trip to work rather than dashing off to childcare centres then they have an incentive to return to work sooner.  Cr Harris said.

“But it’s not just the convenience of having childcare facilities that is behind my motion, studies have shown that conflicts between employee’s work and family can hinder overall productivity.

“If we provide high quality childcare facilities for our staff, we would not only be investing in our workforce, but we would be providing a safe and secure environment in which our children can grow and learn. If because of this initiative, productivity improves then that’s an added bonus,” Councillor Harris said

Cr Harris’ motion was supported by all councillors present and the staff will now prepare a report for a future council meeting on how an internal childcare facility can be provided. 

In a bid to allow employees the opportunity to independently assess the Howard government’s WorkChoices ‘fact sheet’ Greens Cr Chris Harris successfully convinced the City of Sydney Council to offer all employees the United Services Union alternative ‘fact sheet.’

Under legislation, (Workplace Relations Amendment - A stronger safety net) Act 2007) if an employer does not send employees the WorkChoices ‘fact sheet’ by October 20 they can be penalised $110 per employee.

Cr Harris: “I wanted to give our employees an informed choice on their rights at work. My motion requested that the United Services Union, which covers most City employees, prepare a fact sheet that presented an alternative view of the WorkChoices legislation.  I also requested that the CEO send this alternative fact sheet to all City of Sydney employees.

“The spin the Howard government put on the “fact sheet” was that it provided ‘independent advice’.  But the Workplace Authority is the only place employees can go for advice about the workplace system. Hardly independent.

“Also recent research from respected academics has shown some of the claims in the government’s  ‘fact sheet’ are wrong or at the very least highly questionable,” said Cr Harris.

“I believe it is important that employees have an opportunity to hear just how damaging WorkChoices is to the working conditions and wages of ordinary working people and  I want people to know that The Greens have promised to use the votes of their senators in the new Federal Parliament to repeal Workchoices legislation that has stripped tens of thousands of workers of their hard fought for conditions.

“I am also pleased that the council fully supported my motion and the Union agreed to prepare the alternative fact sheet which was sent to the homes of all council employees this week,” Cr Harris said.

usu-alternative-fact-sheet.pdf

In a notice of motion put before the City of Sydney Council, Greens Deputy Lord Mayor Cr. Chris Harris has proposed that while the council is legally obliged to provide existing employees with a ‘Workplace Relations Fact Sheet’ designed by the Federal Government, it should also provide staff with an alternative non-political fact sheet.

This is especially timely given the Queensland government’s legal challenge in the Federal Court – the NSW government is considering joining this action - where it is seeking a declaration that local government bodies are not constitutional corporations and therefore are not subject to Work Choices legislation. Read the rest of this entry »