City strikes nursery nurse deal

Deals have now been struck in most council areas

Nursery nurses in Glasgow have voted to return to work after accepting a pay offer from the city council.

The Unison union claimed its members had been "bullied" into backing the deal, which they rejected last week.

But the council welcomed the decision to accept the offer, which it said would give staff rises of between 6.8% and 23.1% and a lump sum of £2,500.

The vote leaves Borders and Orkney as the only two of Scotland's 32 council areas yet to reach an agreement.

Nursery nurses in Glasgow voted by 542 to 98 to accept the city council's offer - which they had rejected by 445 votes to 287 the previous week.

'Work together'

Councillor Steven Purcell, the council's education convener, said: "I welcome this settlement but recognise that the length of this dispute and the determination of so many that stayed out on strike sends this council a clear message that nursery nurses felt they were undervalued.

"I will work 110% to change that perception.

"I am delighted that this dispute is now at an end and hope that we can all work together to provide the first class and professional nursery service that Glasgow deserves."

Sixteen councils have offered better deals to their staff and we are very disappointed Glasgow couldn't see fit to do the same Angela Lynes Unison branch secretary

However, public service union Unison said its members were unhappy with the settlement.

Branch secretary Angela Lynes said: "They have agreed to go back to work because they were threatened with the sack if they didn't.

"The nurses are disgusted about the way they have been treated and the fact that they have been bullied back to work.

"Sixteen councils have offered better deals to their staff and we are very disappointed Glasgow couldn't see fit to do the same."

She said the council had threatened to impose the offer on nursery nurses.

"If they hadn't agreed to return to work the council would have issued them with a new contract which if they had not signed they would be making themselves redundant," she said.

This has been a long road, but we can now focus on the future Roger Stewart Fife Council

It was also announced on Thursday that nursery nurses in Fife had accepted a pay deal after a ballot of 470 staff.

Fife Council's head of education, Roger Stewart, said the deal placed nursery nurses on the same 36-hour working week as other professional council staff.

"We are pleased that in just one month since Unison restarted talks with us, we've been able to secure an agreement, with the help of Acas, that has now been accepted by nursery nurses," he said.

"This has been a long road, but we can now focus on the future.

"Our 470-strong team of nursery nurses have now secured modern job descriptions, greater career opportunities and a salary which rewards each nursery nurse for the hours they work."