Mon 26 May 2003

Nursery nurse strike action to target specific areas

UNISON's nursery nurses in Edinburgh, the Lothians and the Borders take strike action on Wednesday and Thursday of this week as Scotland's Nursery Nurses' action moves into its second week.

After the successful strikes of last week, UNISON will move to a rolling programme of action which will see different parts of Scotland targetted each week with two day strikes, unless employers make an offer to resolve the situation.

The union's boycott of additional duties that have been added to nursery nurse responsibilities since the last pay review 15 years ago, continues across the whole of Scotland.

Nursery Nurses are angry at what they see as duplicity by the employers. Barbara Foubister, Edinburgh City Branch Chair and a nursery nurse herself, said "CoSLA have said. that the way forward is to enter nursery nurses into the job evaluation process. But at the same time they have asked the unions to put the start date for that process back until 2004. It is simply another attempt to fob off low paid nursery nurses who have already been waiting nearly 15 years. Well we cannot wait any longer."

"Nursery nurses are fed up of the half truths and misinformation being put about by Local Government employers" Said Joe Di Paola, UNISON's Scottish Local Government Organiser. "The constant pleas to 'get back round the table' in the press, which were not matched by any contact with UNISON, and the bland refusal to acknowledge the demands made by the union to allow us to get back into discussion, have made nursery nurses more suspicious of employers motives. We need some tangible example of good faith."

The action on Wednesday and Thursday will mean further closure of local nurseries and nursery schools on strike days, and disruption of the overall nursery service.

In Edinburgh there will be a lobby of CoSLA by striking Nursery Nurses, who will assemble at Edinburgh City Chambers at 10.30am.

"Unless there is a genuine and demonstrable move by CoSLA to end the dispute by making a realistic offer," said Carol Ball, Chair of UNISON's Nursery Nurse Working Party, "the action will switch to another part of Scotland next week."

ENDS

For Further Information Please Contact: Carol Ball (Chair-Nursery Nurse Working Party) - 0141-552 7069(o) 07803 952263(m) Joe Di Paola (Scottish Organiser - Local Govt) - 0845 355 0845(o) 07990 505 698(m) Angela Lynes (Scottish NEC member) 0141-552 7069(o) 07979 522 606(m) John Stevenson,(Edinburgh City Branch Secretary) 07876 795 018(m) Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0845 355 0845(w) 0771 558 3729(m)

Nursery Nurse Campaign pages

Index