Trade union offers subsidies to company nurseries for summer holiday

Shanghai General Trade Union said on Wednesday that it will continue to offer subsidies to temporary company nurseries for the summer holiday.

The trade union has started to take applications from companies and government organizations and those who pass muster will get 10,000 yuan (US$1,450) to 40,000 yuan to run the project.

The subsidies, given according to the number of children enrolled, can be used to purchase firefighting, hygiene and surveillance appliances and have them installed, and also as payments or allowances to workers at the nurseries, among other purposes related to the project.

The summer nurseries should provide caretaking services for at least four weeks, with professional caretakers and teachers, valid contracts with parents, insurances for the children as well as safety infrastructures and emergency measures.

The nurseries shouldn’t be held on the factory floor, in underground or half-underground space, in a warehouse or any dangerous building, and the average space for people inside should be at least 3 square meters.

They can either offer catering themselves or purchase the service from a third party, and there should be at least one caretaker for every 10 children. Company workers and their children are encouraged to work as volunteers for the nurseries.

The nurseries can charge certain fees for providing the service.

Apart from temporary nurseries for the summer holiday, the trade union also supports those established to look after children after school and on other needs.

In the past two years, over 5,000 children have benefited from the project, according to the trade union.

Last year a total of 72 such nurseries received subsidies from the trade union. Those nurseries were mostly found in government institutions and state-owned companies, but there are also some in private companies.