Early Years Scotland Chief Executive, Jane Brumpton, has issued the following statement regarding the announcement of an increase in the real living wage to £12 per hour.

Today’s announcement by the Living Wage Foundation on the rate increase to £12 an hour is an important step in recognising the needs of the lowest paid workers in society, and Early Years Scotland will always support measures which recognise the need for the payment of a decent wage.

We are, however, disappointed that this comes not long after the Scottish Government’s priority commitment to recognise the importance of the early years workforce by promising to increase their wage to at least £12 per hour. What seemed like a positive policy initiative at the time does not now, unfortunately, place the value on our early years sector which appeared to be in place when the Programme for Government was announced. Add to this the pervasive gulf which already exists within our sector and the implementation of the £12 per hour payment is likely to see that gulf widen even further, making it increasingly more challenging for the sector to provide the high-quality early learning and childcare that Scotland’s children deserve.

Early Years Scotland will be liaising with the Scottish Government as a matter of urgency to share our concerns, shaped by the voices of our members, as to what this announcement really means for the future of our workforce.