It's estimated that between 20 and 30 thousand people have protested through Dublin’s city centre calling for better funding in the childcare sector.
Up to 2 thousand creches have closed as a result of the one day demonstration.
The organisers of the protest say 60% of childcare workers earn less than the living wage of 12 euro and 30 cent.
Speaking to Beat News from the March, Camilla Gulliver from Bright Beginnings Creche Wexford, says that workers just want respect for what they do:
"I just want to be recognised as a professional I don't think that's too much to ask. I put myself through college for four years and I dedicated over 20 years now to children.
"I love my job but I demand respect we need to be treated as professionals and need to be given a living wage."
Linda Mellon, owner of Dolmen Nursery and Montessori in Carlow told Beat News that the crippling insurance costs are contributing to wages that are being paid:
"Insurance was the straw that broke the camels back for providers. We're paid by the government for 38 weeks of the year on the ECC scheme and so there's 14 weeks that the provider has to come up with the money to pay the staff.
"The money isn't there, so therefore the staff aren't being paid as much as they should be because we have to spread it over the 52 weeks of the year."
Linda said that the government's National Childcare Scheme has only put more pressure on owners which she feels is not always putting the child first:
"The National Childcare Scheme to put all of the grants under the same umbrella and services had to re-register. I'm operating with 24 years and out of the blue they wanted planning permission and all of the plans back the whole way to 1996.
"How that affects minding a child or how it's in a child's best interest is beyond me."
Photo: Staff from Bizzy Kidz in Tramore Co.Waterford protesting today
