7 Council initiative 22 March 2004

UNISON Response

(See www.cosla.gov.uk for the press briefing)

UNISON points

1) Is this a mini-CoSLA? If these 7 councils can come together to make a statement like this why not come together to negotiate? If they are (as they say) representing all councils that haven't settled then why don't they use the representative body they all belong to? (ie CoSLA).

2) When they refer to 'being able to agree deals broadly similar to those already accepted' which deals are they referring to? There are 11 separate deals, and other offers - do they mean the best deals? or the worst?

3) If this is a serious approach and not just an attempt to steal a few headlines then we would ask that CoSLA put in writing to UNISON what this means and who they are speaking on behalf of.

4) This kind of confusion is one of the reasons that nursery nurses want a Scotland-wide solution, rather than the kind of free-for-all that CoSLA have been advocating.

5) Frank Russell also appears to be trying to confuse the issue. Of course this dispute is not about the negotiations on the general local government pay claim. As we have said all along it is about rectifying an anomaly. Nursery nurses have had increasing duties and responsibilities placed on them across Scotland, have not had their job reviewed for 16 years. They remain one of local government's lowest paid professional groups.

top