Report backs nursery nurses

A research report commissioned by UNISON has confirmed all the union has been saying about nursery nurse pay and conditions.

"It's great to have this report that shows we were right all along", said nursery nurse leader Carol Ball.

The report questions the salaries paid to Scotland's nursery nurses in light of the changing nature of their roles and responsibilities. It also finds no obvious rationale for paying different rates in different authorities.

A basic grade nursery nurse's pay can vary by almost £3,000, despite most of the job being defined by national standards.

The report comes before the the outcome of the Executive's Review of the Early Years and Childcare Workforce set up after the year-long nursery nurse dispute which brought pay rises in every council, but no Scotland-wide scale.

Undervalued

Dr Patricia Findlay, one of the authors of the research, said "For the first time we now have evidence of what Scottish nursery nurses actually do. There is convincing evidence that most nursery nurses are actually carrying out the roles and responsibilities envisioned in the Early Years Review Roles and Responsibilities Framework.

"They undertake a highly responsible, important and challenging job, which requires high level skills and capabilities, in a committed and professional manner. Yet much of their work is under-recognised and under-valued."

* Report Summary at www.unison-scotland.org.uk/ localgovt/nurserynurse

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