EXCERPTS
Some childcare workers want to be paid as much as doctors for helping shoulder the burden of educating Australia's next generation.
Unions will settle for pay parity with teachers.
Mel Lowndes is among thousands of workers taking part in rolling stop-work action across the nation today, calling for better pay.
[Photographs of the march, available to view online: "A sea of colour lined Melbourne's CBD streets today"& "The union gathering in Melbourne attracted hundreds of participants"].