G8 Education has welcomed the Multi-Enterprise Agreement that includes better conditions and well-deserved increased rates of pay for workers in the Early Education and Care (ECEC) sector.

G8 Education Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Pejman Okhovat applauded the Government for their commitment to funding the pay increase and outcome of the negotiation process.

“This is a win for the ECEC sector with the agreement creating the mechanism for early childhood educators to receive a 10 per cent pay rise in December 2024, with a further 5 per cent increase in December 2025,” Mr. Okhovat said.

“Our passionate and dedicated team members in our G8 centres are our greatest asset and the work they do each day has an impact beyond the classroom. It’s widely recognised that high-quality early childhood education plays a pivotal role in ensuring positive outcomes later in life,” he shared.

“Taking on a leadership role as the only large ECEC operator to voluntarily join the multi-employer bargaining process, G8 Education has been committed to negotiating in good faith to advocate for the government funded pay rise for our sector and for our team members.”

“I commend the Government on their commitment to the negotiation process and to supporting the best outcome for centre managers and assistant managers, educators, teachers, support workers and cooks who work in the sector so that we provide the best possible outcomes for children and families.

“As the first and largest childcare operator to join the MEB process, G8 Education will continue to work closely with the Government, Unions and the Fair Work Commission to operationalise the mechanism to access the funding for the wage increases for our team.”

G8 Education remains committed to being at the forefront of finalising this process as we continue to work hard to improve the lives of our educators and the families they work so hard to support.