Daycare teachers will not receive significant salary increases in many municipalities across Finland next year, despite a vocal campaign earlier this year to call attention to what they say are dismal reimbursement levels in the field.
The campaign was put in motion in March, after public broadcaster Yle reported that officials in the capital region cities of Espoo, Vantaa and Helsinki had admitted to reaching an under-the-table verbal agreement to keep salaries levels low by not offering competitive pay packages that would attract skilled professionals.
Yle reported that nationwide monthly salaries for highly-trained daycare teachers had been stuck at around 2,300 euros for years.
The teachers union OAJ then called for daycare teachers’ pay to be harmonised with that of primary school teachers, at around 3,000 euros a month, "in light of the demands of the job".
Not even close
Although some municipalities in Finland are offering their daycare teachers a raise, the amounts have so far been far below expectations. In the capital region, Vantaa will offer 145 euros more per month from the beginning of next year, while neighbouring Helsinki and Espoo are reportedly mulling wage increases.
In Hyvinkää, 50 kilometres north of Helsinki, salaries of daycare teachers will increase by 70 euros a month starting in September. After this improvement, the monthly salary there will be just over 2,500 euros.
The south-eastern city of Kouvola recently sent its daycare workers a note saying that a 1.2 percent salary increase might be possible next year, depending on local budget negotiations. The last wage hike in May awarded daycare teachers at the lower end of the salary scale a 30-euro increase, putting current salary levels between 2,330 and 2,650 euros monthly.
Kouvola city officials say that a sudden wage increase of 700 euros monthly for every daycare teacher would cost the municipality upwards of two million euros a year.
"It simply can't happen on such a rapid schedule. It will take years," says Helena Kuusisto, Kouvola's early childhood education director.
Better salaries would attract more talent
The Kindergarten Teachers Union in Finland urges municipalities to "wake up" to salary increases now, as Finland's new law on early childhood education comes into effect in early September. Among other things, the new legislation aims to strengthen the quality of early childhood education by raising the education levels of personnel and clarifying work responsibilities
"If you want to be a good employer and attract highly-educated people to permanent positions, now is the time to act," says union chair Anitta Pakanen.
Ann-Katrin Svensson, a professor of early childhood education at Turku's Åbo Akademi university, says recruitment problems in the field won't go away until provisions are made for more study places in the country's universities. She says the status of the occupation must also be raised, to make pursuing that line of education more attractive.
"Among other things, this is done by raising the salary," she says.
Critical shortage of daycare staff
Helsinki is currently grappling with a shortage of close to 20 day care teachers, according to Yle's Swedish-language news. One employee who wished to remain anonymous reported that most daycare facilities operating in the capital city have only two-thirds of the staff they need, as other daycare staff are filling in spots that should be held by trained kindergarten teachers.
"Daycare workers who perform the same tasks as the kindergarten teachers should be receiving the same salary, but here in Helsinki, this is something no one really seems to care about," the unnamed worker says.
Tove Zilliacus has children who attend a daycare in eastern Helsinki. She says she was shocked when she heard that taxes in Helsinki would be lowered in 2018, when everyone knows about the poor pay situation in the city's daycare facilities.
"Increase the tax rate and pay people a reasonable salary!" she tells Yle Svenska. "These workers care for our society's most important people. Any politician that dares to make a statement would earn the votes of families with children."
