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10 December 2003 Parents and nursery nurses join forces to confront CoSLA - Scottish UNISON leader to address Edinburgh councilUNISON today announced a Scotland-wide one-day strike, demonstration and rally in Dundee on Thursday December 11. On the morning of that day, Joe Di Paola, UNISON's Scottish Organiser for Local Government, will deliver a petition in support of the claim, to Edinburgh City Council. He will also address the council. Joe Di Paola said "CoSLA should stop wasting their time encouraging councils to try and split nursery nurses with local offers. Nursery nurses are rejecting these. They can see what a mess would be created if nursery nurses are paid differently depending on where they work. Not only is this unfair, it is bad for the education of kids and the service as a whole." "In Edinburgh, for the vast majority of nursery nurses, the CoSLA offer and the so-called 'local offer' mean a CUT in the hourly rate. This is clearly a nonsense "With Edinburgh's key role in CoSLA, they should stop playing games and pretending they can do nothing about this. They must and their considerable influence to achieve a fair, lasting and realistic national settlement. It is no more than the parents of Edinburgh will expect of them". The Dundee demonstration is part of the current raft of selective industrial action, which is affecting 13 councils throughout Scotland this week. The demonstration will bring together parents and nursery nurses to deliver a message to CoSLA, who are meeting in the city that day. The main speaker at the rally will be Matt Smith, UNISON's Scottish Secretary. Carol Ball, Chair - UNISON's Nursery Nurses Working Party, said "Parents are rightly frustrated at at the games being played and the intransigence shown by employers. CoSLA's refusal to deal with this Scotland-wide issue on a Scottish basis has meant continuing disruption for parents and their children's education." The march and rally will be led off by a group of parents supporting the nursery nurses' case for decent pay, and will also feature a "Nursery Nurse Choir" from Dundee, who have re-drafted some well-known seasonal tunes! Anne Byrne, a local Dundee parent who will speak at the rally said: 'It is way past time that Scottish local authorities started talking to UNISON. Kids are losing out whilst councils play for time. We know what a valuable job nursery nurses do and we think they are undervalued. I can see no reason why a nursery nurse in Angus or Perth should be paid differently from one in Dundee. Teachers aren't." The demonstration will assemble at Greenmarket in Dundee at 12 30pm and march to City Square at 1.00pm The march will rally in City Square and hand a petition signed by parents and the public to CoSLA's representative from Dundee City Council. ENDS Note for Picture Editors. Joe Di Paola will be avaialble at the City Chambers in Edinburgh with nursery nurses before boarding the bus to Dundee. Media are also advised to seek access to the Edinburgh Council Meeting. The parents supporting the nursery nurses will be at the front of the march in Dundee For Further Information Please Contact: Joe Di Paola (Scottish Organiser - Local Govt) 0870 7777 006(w) 07990 505698(m) Carol Ball (Chair Nursery Nurse WP) 0141-552 7069(o) 07803 952263 (m) Chris Bartter (Communications Officer) 0870 7777 006(w) 0771 558 3729(m) John Stevenson (City of Edinburgh Branch) 07876795018 |
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