Union leaders' warnings over Highland nursery staff cuts
A union leader has warned any move to cut the hours of nursery staff in the Highlands - in the wake of a new law designed to increase free child care for parents – would be "perverse".
Unison and GMB say workers in local authority nurseries are alarmed about proposed contract changes including a potential reduction in hours.
Highland Council must provide an annual 600 hours of free pre-school education for three and four-year-olds by August, next year, because of new Holyrood legislation. The current entitlement is 475 hours.
Unison’s John Gibson said any cut in staff hours would be "perverse" in the face of a new law and claimed the council was moving away from a proposal to make up any reduction by redeploying them.
That has been vehemently denied by the council and a spokesman said staff concerns had not been raised by either union, as the education authority hosts a consultation with staff and parents about the complex shake-up.
Under the proposals, the staffing structure would be changed from the current two-tier set-up of nursery assistants and nursing auxiliaries to the job of "early years practitioner".
The council is consulting on two proposals to prove 600 hours of nursery care.
Its preferred option could see nursery auxiliaries with full-time contracts of 35 hours face a reduction in their working week to only 23 hours "depending on local circumstances".
The council has stressed the auxillaries’ income would not be affected.
It would see nurseries staffed by two separate teams, in the morning and afternoon, all on 23 hours per week.
To make up the potential "lost" 12 hours the staff could carry out other duties like providing support to schools’ primary one classes or working as bank staff for other nurseries.
Mr Gibson, Unison’s regional branch secretary, said the looming changes had upset nursery workers.
"There has been a high degree of shock from members as it seems perverse that there is an increase in nursery hours yet a cut in staff hours as a result," said Mr Gibson.
"Initial indications from the council were that staff hours would be maintained however the union is concerned that they seem to be moving away from that position."
Mr Gibson said talks were continuing with the council but added: "The consultation does appear to be based on a fait accompli."
Bruce Crabtree, GMB’s regional officer, was hopeful an acceptable solution could still be found.
"The GMB is consulting with Highland Council over the implementation of changes to statutory nursery care and nothing is agreed as yet," he said. "Members understand why the changes are coming in but they are concerned about the proposed new contracts that replace permanent hours with flexible hours and a lack of remuneration for some staff affected, such as nursery assistants.
"There are also issues about the length of the working year and how overall responsibility between the morning and afternoon sessions, for example, in terms of risk assessments or children who haven’t been collected [by parents], are to be addressed."
Neither union would say how many of its members worked in Highland nurseries.
Badenoch and Strathspey councillor Jaci Douglas, a mother-of-four, said there was anxiety amongst staff and concerns about the situation had been flagged up to her by constituents.
Councillor Douglas said it was a "really complicated" process because of the differing set-ups employed by nurseries and staff played a vital role in the development of children.
The Independent councillor said she was pleased nursery staff would be fully involved in the consultation to provide 600 free hours, after a recommendation for their involvement was approved last month by the adult and children’s services committee, of which she is a member.
"The staff are very professional, they had to be given a voice, they are really well-trained," she said.
A council spokesman denied any move away from re-deploying staff and said: "The council is looking at two models for the extension of hours. It is awaiting the outcome of a consultation process before deciding on the preferred option. There have been no concerns raised by trade unions about either option."
The extra hours is unconnected to the SNP’s child care pledge in last week’s White Paper which pledged that three and four-year-olds would be entitled to 30 hours of free childcare a week under independence.
The Scottish Government has provided £2.4million to extend nursery care in the Highlands.
There are about 76 local authority nurseries running a single session a day and it is proposed to extend that by 40 minutes. That would mean care is provided for three hours and 10 minutes a day.
It could see nursery assistants and auxiliaries working an extra eight and three-and-a-half hours a week, respectively.
But in another 60 nurseries, where two sessions per day are held, the council has proposed that mornings and afternoon sessions would be delivered by different teams who would all be on 23 hours per week – hence the hours reduction.
An alternative option, to extend both nursery sessions to three hours a day, was described as "logistically challenging" by the council.
The nurseries would have to run for two weeks longer than the school term and staff contracts would also be increased to 37 hours per week.
