Early years workers in North Lanarkshire have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over the council plans which would leave workers thousands of pounds worse off.
The council is proposing to make early years workers in higher level jobs (grade 9) redundant, then re-employ them on a lower wage rate (grade 7).
That means full-time staff could see a pay cut of up to £6500, says trade union UNISON. The proposals would affect 375 workers.
Unison's ballot closed on Monday and saw an overwhelming 97 per cent vote to reject the plans to downgrade their posts and to take strike action on a 77 per cent turnout, which is well above the threshold needed under trade union laws.
The results are being announced to workers at meetings across the council this evening and UNISON is now preparing for strike action which will close nursery schools.
Marie Quigley, Unison's North Lanarkshire branch secretary, said: “These fire and rehire plans are outrageous proposals. I had hoped the council would have seen sense by now.
“They are jeopardising children’s entire education if they don’t ensure young people are properly supported from the very start. Strike action is not something these workers wanted.
“But early years practitioners have made it very clear they will take action unless these plans are scrapped.
“At a time when it’s harder than ever to make ends meet, these mostly women workers are being asked to do the same work for considerably less.
“The council needs to put an immediate end to these plans and start prioritising children, and the workforce our young people rely upon. The whole community has been rallying in support of these workers, it’s high time the council realised their value too.”
In March, early years workers protested outside Motherwell Civic Centre in response to the council’s proposals.
They were joined by children and parents from across North Lanarkshire, who spoke of the vital impact nursery workers have on their children’s development and called the council’s plans a “disgrace”.
The early years saga was discussed at the most recent full council meeting when members of Progressive Change North Lanarkshire (PGNL) presented a motion to suspend the current rollout and conduct a further review.
However, this was opposed by Labour and the Tories.
Progressive Change leader, Councillor Greg Lennon said: “I am extremely proud of the efforts made by my group to address the concerns of NLC9 workers.
“The motion presented at the full council meeting demonstrates our unwavering commitment to protecting the rights and well-being of our constituents.
“We remain resolute in our determination to listen to NLC9 workers and address the flaws in the current realignment process. We will continue to fight for a fair and equitable resolution that ensures the financial stability of these dedicated practioners.
“I would like to express my gratitude to all the unions and staff members who have raised their voices and highlighted the areas of concern.
“Your support and engagement with both myself and our group has been instrumental in bringing this matter to the forefront.”
A spokesperson for North Lanarkshire Council said: “We note the outcome of the Unison ballot for a limited number of early years staff to go on strike and we will now work with parents and carers to try to minimise any impact on families and children.
“Employees affected have a number of options including applying for voluntary severance or early retiral on enhanced terms. Redeployment opportunities are available and any staff remaining will be subject to multi-year protection of their current salary.
“These changes align the staffing structure with the previously agreed model and were decided as part of the council’s budget-setting process for 2023-24 in which a budget gap of £28.3 million had to be addressed.”
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