Childcare workers at Monaco’s municipal crèches are set to strike on Friday 13th March, following a dispute over a request for additional leave, with the Mairie warning that some facilities may be forced to close depending on the number of staff who take part.
The strike was announced by the Syndicat des Agents de l’État et de la Commune (SAEC) in a letter to Mayor Georges Marsan on the evening of Tuesday 10th March. The action stems from a request made by childcare auxiliaries at the end of 2025 for five additional days of annual leave in recognition of the physically and emotionally demanding nature of their work.
The Commune’s response
Mayor Marsan met union representatives and childcare workers on Wednesday, accompanied by deputy mayor Chloé Boscagli, delegate for early childhood and family services, along with senior municipal officials. The Mairie de Monaco later issued a statement, saying that Mayor Marsan expressed frustration that the strike had been called without first requesting a meeting with the relevant department or with himself directly.
The Mayor said working hours and leave entitlements for municipal staff are set by law and determined by the Prince’s Government according to employment category. Childcare auxiliaries currently work 37.5 hours per week and receive 27 days of annual leave — terms he said are in line with the statute governing municipal employees, last amended on 16th November 2022.
Improvements already made
The Mairie used the statement to set out a series of measures it says have been taken in recent years to improve working conditions for childcare staff. These include strengthening staffing levels across crèches, maintaining a pool of nine substitute workers to cover daily absences, recruiting additional staff to care for children with individual care protocols, and introducing an annual training programme.
The municipality also pointed to investment in facilities, including new crèche buildings at Testimonio, Honoria and the Jardin d’éveil, as well as renovation work at older sites including the crèches in Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo and Roseraie. A change to intake policy — limiting new child admissions to three periods a year in September, January and April — was also cited as a measure designed to reduce pressure on staff.
Families to be contacted
Mayor Marsan and members of the municipality council said they were surprised by the decision to strike without prior consultation, and called on workers to honour their professional commitments, noting that the welfare of young children remains a priority for the Commune.
Families with children enrolled at municipal crèches will be contacted directly by crèche management ahead of Friday. The early childhood services department says it is doing everything possible to keep facilities open on the day.
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Photo: Creche Honoria, source Mairie de Monaco