“The welfare of children and parents can never be separated”

Halla Gunnarsdóttir, chair of the VR union, believes that municipalities have effectively given up on preschool issues. She says society assumes two wage earners, and preschools are one of the cornerstones of that system.

“I do have some sympathy for the municipalities — they don’t have sufficient revenue streams, and this has grown into a massive project. But the solution cannot be to shift all the burden onto working parents. That is a solution we cannot accept,” Gunnarsdóttir told mbl.is.

Study showing dissatisfaction with Kópavogur model

The results of a new study by Varða, published yesterday, included interviews with parents of preschool children in Kópavogur and revealed strong dissatisfaction with the so-called Kópavogur model in preschool policy. At the same time, a working group in Reykjavík presented proposals to improve staffing and working conditions in preschools, with the goal of reducing the need for understaffing measures and providing more predictability for families. Reykjavík City Council has approved putting the proposals into consultation.

Among the changes being considered are adjustments to preschool fees. Parents in Reykjavík who do not use preschool services between Christmas and New Year, during Holy Week, or in the winter break will have one month’s fees waived, while those who do use the service will be required to pay 4,000 krónur for each day they register, with registration taking place in September for the entire school year. In addition, all current discount categories, except sibling and staff discounts, will be replaced by new rules. For example, parents will receive a 25 percent discount on preschool fees if their children are not registered after 2 p.m. on Fridays.

Gunnarsdóttir warns that if one municipality manages its preschool challenges by shifting the burden onto working parents, others will soon follow. “This study shows it’s simply a bad path,” she said, adding she had not expected Reykjavík to jump on board.

Pushing the burden onto working parents

According to Gunnarsdóttir, the real problems in preschools concern staffing, working conditions, and pay, and those must be addressed directly. Instead, she argues, these methods take existing issues in an otherwise good system and simply push the burden onto working parents rather than solving the underlying financial problems.

“This creates more stress in the lives of families with young children and worsens income losses at a vulnerable stage of life. It’s a step backwards in building a family- and child-friendly society,” she said. She also criticized the narrative that this debate is about what is best for children while portraying parents as lazy. “That, to me, is almost as big a crime. Parents of young children are doing their very best to piece life together,” she said.

“We want children to be born, we want children to exist. That means you can’t just attack their parents. The welfare of children and parents can never be separated,” she added.

Benefits only public-sector employees

Hildur Björnsdóttir, leader of the Independence Party in Reykjavík, criticized the city’s plan yesterday, arguing that the Friday discount unfairly benefits public-sector employees, who already enjoy shorter workweeks than most in the private sector.

Asked for her view, Gunnarsdóttir said she agreed. “My union members, who work regular hours, can perhaps leave work around 3:15 p.m. on Fridays, based on the current shortened hours. But it depends on the workplace. Many in the private sector have no shortening at all,” she said.

She pointed out that most of the Icelandic labor market has only a limited shortening of the workweek. In addition, public employees accrue vacation days while on parental leave — meaning they return with a full 30 days of vacation — while VR members return with none.

“My members come out of parental leave with absolutely no vacation left. Then begins the scramble with staff days and other leave, because parents have nothing left to draw on,” Gunnarsdóttir said.

“In reality, municipalities are saying that your children shouldn’t be in preschool on more and more days when you are expected to be at work.”