| UNISON City of Edinburgh Branch |
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1 March 2004 UNISON slams Edinburgh 'del boy' offer as nursery strike startsUNISON is accusing the City of Edinburgh Council of using 'del boy' figures to try to con nursery nurses and the public about its so-called local offer as the first day of indefinite strike action starts. "Whoever drew up the offer would give Only Fools and Horses a run for its money when it comes to sleight of hand with money", said John Stevenson, Edinburgh UNISON Branch Secretary. "To make it look like a rise, the council has shiftily not compared like with like. The so-called rise is in fact a CUT of 19p in the hourly rate. It is an insult to nursery nurses' intelligence and shows just how low the Council is prepared to stoop to avoid giving a fair deal". "If the council gave no rise at all and only paid staff for the extra 2.5 hours a week it wants, people would be £340 better off than the so-called rise the Council is offering! It is astonishing", added Mr Stevenson The offer explained (it takes a bit of concentration!) Most staff currently work 32.5 hours a week for 39 weeks. Their pay is 'annualised' over 52 weeks. By the Council's own figures this is £13,896, or £8.22 an hour, at the very top after seven years in the job. The Council's calculation of £8.22 is arrived at by dividing £13,896 by 52 and then by 32.5 hours. The Council is upping the working week to 35 hours and says it is offering £9.04 an hour. It works this out by saying that staff will get £16,449 for working 52 weeks. But then it says they don't work 52 weeks, they only work 46.22 (39 plus holidays the Council now has to pay). So their actual pay will be £14,621, the Council admits. Now divide that in the same way the council divided the £13,896 figure (divide by 52 then by 35 hours) and you get £8.03 an hour - 19p an hour less! ENDS Further Information
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