After reports of grievances at daycare centers in the city of Zurich, the SP and the Greens are tightening the screw: there will now be annual, unannounced controls. And further tightening is planned.
The SP considers the Zurich nursery landscape to be “underfunded” and wants to inject more city money.
At some point in the course of the debate, Claudia Rabelbauer lifts her hat – and she asks the all-important question: “What kind of childcare do you want, a private one like today or a state one?”
Rabelbauer, herself a daycare manager and EPP councilor, is annoyed by the increasing density of regulations in the city of Zurich’s daycare landscape. There are 300 private daycare centers in Zurich, only around a dozen urban ones. The fear of many bourgeoisie: the dominant red-green parties are restricting private life more and more until a profitable business is no longer possible.
In fact, the left has long been bothered by the at least semi-free Zurich daycare market. She sees it as a reason for misconduct and grievances, for cost pressure, poor quality and overburdened staff. Their approach: even more rules, controls and political influence.
Golta wants to spend more money
On Wednesday evening, the SP and the Greens presented and passed concrete demands in the city parliament. Relatively close, because the alternative list was abstained from voting, but in the end it was still successful.
For example, an ombudsman is to be created, to which concerned parents, but also daycare workers, can turn. There they should be able to report suspected abuses – also anonymously. “Such a neutral body is needed,” said SP spokesman Roger-Paul Speck. The market with its invisible hand doesn’t regulate everything by itself.
Dominique Zygmont of the FDP saw it differently. The daycare offer in Zurich is not scarce; there is a choice. Parents would share experiences and poor quality crèches would be quickly avoided. A state-funded ombudsman is pointless.
A postulate by the SP and the Greens was also accepted, calling on the city council to work out a collective labor contract with the social partners. Too many employees in daycare centers today work under “precarious conditions”.
The nursery landscape in Zurich was “underfunded”, said the unionist Natascha Wey from the SP, in order to immediately follow suit: Any cost increases that would result from higher wages, for example, would have to be borne by the city in the future. That should be expensive.
The SP social director Raphael Golta also spoke of wanting to spend more city money in the future. “We are ready for that.” The range of day-care centers is now “pleasant”, but there is “still a lot to be done” in terms of quality. That will cost something. The canton and federal government have not yet provided any financial support in this regard. Golta announced that he would like to introduce new rules for urban subsidy practice by autumn.
The objection of the EVP practitioner Claudia Rabelbauer, according to which the working conditions in the crèches are actually not that bad today, faded away. A 19-year-old apprenticeship graduate earns around 4,300 francs a month with regular working hours in a meaningful job.
Unannounced controls
The SP and the Greens were also successful with an advance that provides for annual and, above all, unannounced visits through the existing crèche control. Additional positions are to be created for this. In this way, abuse should be better uncovered, argued SP spokeswoman Anjushka Früh. In the catering industry, such unannounced visits are normal and effective.
The bourgeoisie thought that there were already enough controls today. SVP man Samuel Balsiger was basically: “The daycare centers don’t need more rules and restrictions, but more freedom, more healthy companies that compete with one another.” This also increases the quality. Three quarters of private daycare centers are at risk of bankruptcy today, among other things because of government overregulation, said Balsiger.
One thing is certain: the fight – state against market – will continue to be fought in Zurich. At the moment to the disadvantage of the nursery director Rabelbauer and her allies.