NURSERY nurses in Scotland are to go on indefinite strike from Monday.
The start date for the strike, which will affect an estimated 50,000 children, was agreed yesterday in Glasgow at a meeting of union representatives after an overwhelming four to one balloted for indefinite industrial action.
Nursery nurses voted by 81% to 19% to move to an all-out strike after the employers, Cosla, failed to respond to the campaign of one-day strikes, lobbying, boycotting additional duties and public pressure.
The nurses' pay has not been reviewed for nearly 16 years and most basic grade workers earn (pounds) 10,000 a year at the beginning of their career - moving up to (pounds) 13,800 after 10 years' service. The union is looking for a basic grade of between (pounds) 14,000 to (pounds) 18,000.
Unison has agreed to emergency exemptions and has asked branches to agree cover with local employers to ensure no child is put at risk by the action.
About 26 councils will be affected, while six others have struck deals. They are Shetland, Highland, Aberdeen City, Perth and Kinross, Stirling, and South Lanarkshire.
Unison undertook the ballot to reaffirm the mandate for industrial action after 10 months of the dispute. In a 68% return, the percentage voting Yes to the question, are you prepared to take indefinite strike action? was 80.7%; the percentage voting No was 19.3%.
Carol Ball, chair of Unison's nursery nurses' working party, said: ''There has been a year of industrial action of various types which has disrupted nursery education across Scotland.
''Faced with the refusal of Cosla negotiate with nursery nurses representatives about the level of their Scottish grade, nursery nurses reluctantly feel that they have no alternative, but to take all-out strike action.''
Ms Ball said it was disgraceful that employers still refused to negotiate and would rather disrupt children's education and parents' working lives than pay the nurses for the job they do.
She added: ''No nursery nurse wants to disrupt the education of any children in their care. We know how important the work we do is in children's development. But we cannot be taken for granted any longer.
''We have argued, discussed, boycotted work, taken action short of all-out strike but the employers have met all this with a brick wall.
''We urge parents to continue the pressure on their councillors, asking them to tell Cosla to reopen Scottish talks. This is the only way that this dispute is likely to be resolved.''
Joe Di Paola, Unison's Scottish organiser for local government, said: ''The employers yesterday discussed a document that admitted that the route to a settlement in this dispute lay through a Scotland-wide regrading and have recently admitted that they will not meet the job evaluation deadline that is a pre-requisite for local nursery nurse gradings.
''It is beyond belief that they would rather force nursery nurses out on strike than deal fairly with their claim.
''This dispute is not just about nursery nurses pay, it is about the future of the nursery service.''
Pat Watters, Cosla president, said last night that there was no need for the indefinite strike.
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