They too were the little hands that allowed some parents to continue working ... The childminders, many of whom continued their childcare activity during confinement, are the "great forgotten" of the health crisis, says Force worker who publishes a collection giving them the floor.
Five children to babysit… in addition to his own
"I found myself abandoned like an old sock (...) A great moment of loneliness, abandonment, disregard," says one of them. "I did not stop working during confinement, I managed five children and my two children (eight years and one year), I worked from 8h to 20h, while doing school, no news from my PMI (Maternal and Child Protection), no mask, no gel, ”says another.
In April, the union collected more than 400 anonymized testimonies from childminders, who take care of toddlers at home and represent the first form of childcare after parents.
"Often at the bottom of the salary scale, precarious and poorly protected"
"They are fed up, felt ridiculed, little supported", summed up Wednesday during a press conference Véronique Delaitre, of the union of the maternal assistants FO, estimating that "the Covid-19 had a lot of impact on their salary and their profession ”. In March, the state relaxed standards, allowing them to accommodate six children simultaneously instead of four and thus "gradually support the resumption of activity". At the same time, those who were unable to work benefited from the "exceptional compensation" system set up for employees working for private employers.
"Not partial unemployment! An 80% compensation without any contribution, without even an authentic salary slip, "laments another childminder, saying" forgotten in early childhood ".
For Yves Veyrier, secretary general of FO, they are part of these "jobs that are insufficiently considered and yet essential to everyday life". "Often at the bottom of the salary scale, precarious and poorly protected", he continued, calling for "repositioning it in the scale of values".
Request for a premium and a revaluation
The union demands in particular a "right to withdrawal" for childminders, a bonus for those who continued their activity during confinement, an increase in hourly wages (on average 3.51 euros per hour currently) and the conclusion " as soon as possible ”negotiations to integrate this profession into the Occupational Health Act and review the collective agreement.
Some 304,000 childminders work in France, a figure which has been falling for four years. Mostly women, around 152,000 will retire by 2030.
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