Good Friday is not a public holiday..

Kotek Besar

..so why is my son's creche closed?

Good Friday is a normal working day in this country. I'm working as normal. I still have to pay creche as normal.. yet they are closed. This means I have to use a day's annual leave when I'm paying the creche to look after my child.

Anyone else think this is not on?

CrazyRabbit

Why are you paying for a service not provided?

Kotek Besar

CrazyRabbit wrote: »

Why are you paying for a service not provided?

My point exactly!

I accept that creche closes on public holidays, but Good Friday is not a public holiday, it's a normal working day.

Fad

Kotek Besar wrote: »

My point exactly!

I accept that creche closes on public holidays, but Good Friday is not a public holiday, it's a normal working day.

Obviously all of the staff are devout Catholics and need the day to attend multiple Passion Masses.........

I was under the impression that, while it's not a public holiday, a lot of places get the day off (I understand that obviously you dont) and maybe they were working under that (incorrect) assumption.

Do they normally open on big religious holidays?

Kotek Besar

Fad wrote: »

Do they normally open on big religious holidays?

Forgive me, apart from Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day (which are, of course, public holidays), what other big religious holidays are there?

Dades

1st Nov is a religious holiday. Also the 1st May has a religious origin (though not a Christian religion ).

I totally get the OPs gripe - I've nearly always had to work Good Friday too.

However no doubt there will be something in whatever T&Cs you signed off on with the creche. Do you have any forms you signed?

Moonbeam

Is it a community creche?

lazygal

In my service, we've been on Easter hols this week and will be next. I gave a calender with the dates of all breaks, hols etc at the start of the year with the information pack to all parents. Did you not know this day would be one where the creche was closed in advance or is it a last minute thing? The creche can set their hours like any workplace-it might not suit you but would you not like another day with your child?

Nevyn

Check your contract with the crech and the terms and conditions you agreed to.
There are over heads which the crehce has which are not related to wages and they have to be taken into consideration as well.

Kotek Besar

lazygal wrote: »

In my service, we've been on Easter hols this week and will be next. I gave a calender with the dates of all breaks, hols etc at the start of the year with the information pack to all parents. Did you not know this day would be one where the creche was closed in advance or is it a last minute thing? The creche can set their hours like any workplace-

Yes, I knew in advance. Wasn't happy about it then, not happy about it now.

It's quite simple. I pay €150 a week for my child to be taken care of between 9am and 5.30pm, Monday to Friday. I accept that this should and does exclude Irish public holidays, but I disagree that the creche should be entitled to not provide the service on normal working days while continuing to take my money - even if I am informed of the closure in advance.

lazygal wrote: »

it might not suit you but would you not like another day with your child?

Nice attitude.

lazygal

If you knew in advance I think you are just having a rant. The creche gave you plenty of notice to arrange to take a day off etc.

My attitude is nice, if I was lucky enough to have a child I would want to be with them as much as possible.

Khannie

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Forgive me, apart from Christmas Day and St Stephen's Day (which are, of course, public holidays), what other big religious holidays are there?

Easter.

seamus

lazygal wrote: »

If you knew in advance I think you are just having a rant. The creche gave you plenty of notice to arrange to take a day off etc.

His point is that if he's paying €150 per week for them to look after his child, then surely he's entitled to a 20% discount on weeks where the creche has decided to arbitrarily close for a single day? Public holidays are different.

Khannie

lazygal wrote: »

My attitude is nice, if I was lucky enough to have a child I would want to be with them as much as possible.

A day off every once in a while is nice too.

Kotek Besar

seamus wrote: »

His point is that if he's paying €150 per week for them to look after his child, then surely he's entitled to a 20% discount on weeks where the creche has decided to arbitrarily close for a single day? Public holidays are different.

Precisely, thank you.

lazygal

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Precisely, thank you.

My point is that you knew this in advance, chose to send your child there and agreed to the terms and conditions.
If you don't like this policy, why not change to a service that suits you? You did know this before this week.

Kotek Besar

Khannie wrote: »

A day off every once in a while is nice too.

Indeed it is, but I'd prefer to choose myself when to use my annual leave, rather than be forced to use it because the creche decides to shut up shop while still being paid.

Kotek Besar

lazygal wrote: »

My point is that you knew this in advance, chose to send your child there and agreed to the terms and conditions.
If you don't like this policy, why not change to a service that suits you? You did know this before this week.

Because all the creches near to me are the same. One (not the one my child goes to) actually closes for two weeks during the Summer - while continuing to take money from it's customers. That's €300 they'd receive, for each child, for providing absolutely no service whatsoever.

lazygal

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Because all the creches near to me are the same.

This should tell you this is SOP. Maybe look into another area if this one day is very inconvenient and check that the provider meets the needs, which you already agreed to with your existing service but don't suit

Kotek Besar

lazygal wrote: »

This should tell you this is SOP. Maybe look into another area if this one day is very inconvenient and check that the provider meets the needs, which you already agreed to with your existing service but don't suit

Or maybe you should cop on.

This is, apparently, common practice among creches in Ireland (or in Waterford, at least) and will continue to be so for as long as people like you feel it's perfectly acceptable for a company, who you pay for a service, to decide to not provide that service, still charge you for it, so long as they give you notice.

I might add, in late December / early January when we were having the bad, icy weather, creche decided to open an hour later than usual, to allow their staff extra time to get to work. Can you believe it?

Obviously they didn't think (or care) that the parents who pay them have to get to work on time and, guess what, leave home earlier in bad weather (something creche didn't think of, clearly).

lazygal

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Or maybe you should cop on.

This is, apparently, common practice among creches in Ireland (or in Waterford, at least) and will continue to be so for as long as people like you feel it's perfectly acceptable for a company, who you pay for a service, to decide to not provide that service, still charge you for it, so long as they give you notice.

I might add, in late December / early January when we were having the bad, icy weather, creche decided to open an hour later than usual, to allow their staff extra time to get to work. Can you believe it?

Obviously they didn't think (or care) that the parents who pay them have to get to work on time and, guess what, leave home earlier in bad weather (something creche didn't think of, clearly).

I can only speak for my service. We inform our parents at the start of the year of all dates pertaining to the service, holidays, public holidays etc. During the bad weather I stayed open and took siblings free of charge who were stuck because the primary school was closed. I paid a member of staff to work overtime and did not charge parents.
I simply suggest that if this provider does not suit your needs, maybe you should find one that does. You knew the conditions in advance and agreed to them. If this was such a sore point with you, tell the provider and change to another. I would not pay for a service I was not happy with and I would switch to a new one.

Nevyn

The crech still has to pay wages, tax, prsi, rent ect when it's closed for holidays.
Would you prefer to not pay those two weeks and for the ammount to be spread out on the rest of the weeks?

Kotek Besar

lazygal wrote: »

I can only speak for my service. We inform our parents at the start of the year of all dates pertaining to the service, holidays, public holidays etc. During the bad weather I stayed open and took siblings free of charge who were stuck because the primary school was closed. I paid a member of staff to work overtime and did not charge parents.

That is great service, I commend you on that.

lazygal wrote: »

I simply suggest that if this provider does not suit your needs, maybe you should find one that does. You knew the conditions in advance and agreed to them. If this was such a sore point with you, tell the provider and change to another. I would not pay for a service I was not happy with and I would switch to a new one.

I'm not an idiot, so please don't speak to me as if I am.

I feel it is unacceptable for a creche to close on days other than Irish public holidays, yet continue to take payment from it's customers. I know that this appears to be common practice, however. This, I feel, is disgusting.

It's all very well to say "I would not pay for a service I was not happy with and I would switch to a new one.", but when they're all doing it (and I think you know very well that they are), then switching creches won't solve the problem, will it.

Perhaps most parents just bend over, accept this as the norm and hand over their cash - "thanks for not looking after my child today, here's your money".

Kotek Besar

Thaedydal wrote: »

The crech still has to pay wages, tax, prsi, rent ect when it's closed for holidays.
Would you prefer to not pay those two weeks and for the ammount to be spread out on the rest of the weeks?

Good Friday is not a holiday, it is a working day. They are being paid (by me) to work.

Balmed Out

Every business gets to set their own hours of opening. Thats just the way it is. Have you checked that all other local crech's do close that day? Id write a letter complaining about it and ask them to reconsider in future years and encourage others to do the same if i were you. Plenty of businesses are expected to open on public holidays for example my local leisure centre will have slightly reduced hours but opens every day but christmas and new years days. Thats the industry norm and the customers needs I suppose which is why they do it. I cant imagine that a crech would close on Good Friday if most of its customers complained.

cbyrd

Good Friday is not a public holiday, no, but the fee you pay is based on the placement for the child throughout the year, you have to pay the 5 days in a 4 day week to hold the place for the child, same way you get paid your holiday pay even though you are not working the 20 odd days off you get.

It's not done on a day to day payment, if it was then you would pay daily, but if you worked on that system then if you were 10 mins late getting there they could accept another child in your childs place, if they were full it would be tough and you would not be able to leave your child there !!

this is why a place is held for your child and cannot be filled by another child. That is what you are paying for, the priviledge of knowing that your child always has their place. Sameway a primary or secondary school has scheduled days off working parents have to take the time off,this is why you're given a calendar if you were given appropriate notice you have no arguement, time to do that was when you were handed the calendar the first time.
Annoying but true

Kotek Besar

cbyrd wrote: »

Good Friday is not a public holiday, no, but the fee you pay is based on the placement for the child throughout the year, you have to pay the 5 days in a 4 day week to hold the place for the child, same way you get paid your holiday pay even though you are not working the 20 odd days off you get.

It's not done on a day to day payment, if it was then you would pay daily, but if you worked on that system then if you were 10 mins late getting there they could accept another child in your childs place, if they were full it would be tough and you would not be able to leave your child there !!

this is why a place is held for your child and cannot be filled by another child. That is what you are paying for, the priviledge of knowing that your child always has their place. Sameway a primary or secondary school has scheduled days off working parents have to take the time off,this is why you're given a calendar if you were given appropriate notice you have no arguement, time to do that was when you were handed the calendar the first time.
Annoying but true

Codswallop.

Don't mean to be rude, but re-read what you've just written and see if it makes sense.

Khannie

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Indeed it is, but I'd prefer to choose myself when to use my annual leave, rather than be forced to use it because the creche decides to shut up shop while still being paid.

I meant a day off from the kids.

Khannie

Kotek Besar wrote: »

Or maybe you should cop on.

Here....can you extend a bit of courtesy please.

lazygal

OP, if you want to sort this out you will have to approach the service provider in a less aggressive manner than you have approached some posts here.
I have tried to explain the rationale behind this policy, but if you don't agree with it that is no reason to be rude.

Khannie

I'm off work tomorrow. My company are still paying me. I'm assuming the creche staff are being paid. While it's not an official holiday here, it's sort of an unofficial one. You need only look at what the traffic's gonna be like tomorrow to know that. I think it's just one of those things you need to accept or (geniunely) look elsewhere.

Have you raised this with the creche?