Members of Scotland's biggest public services union, Unison, have voted by almost five to one to accept a 14.2 per cent four-year offer. This increases the current two-year 6.1 per cent offer to 6.5 per cent by bringing forward next year's settlement date, extends it for a further two years, and inflation-proofs all four years' awards. It will also bring the minimum wage in Scottish local government to more than 5 per hour by adding a flat-rate payment of 500 for next year. But low-paid nursery nurses wanted to hold out for a greater increase.
Carol Ball, chair of the Unison nursery nurse working group, said, 'Our claim when we started the industrial action was for five per cent or 500, whichever was the greatest.
'That is not what we have received. For nursery nurses in Glasgow it equates to a 3.9 per cent pay rise. It means nursery nurses who earn 12,120 before the rise will only earn 13,895 by 1 April 2003. Overall it is not a satisfactory increase and nursery nurses are still being underpaid. It is an absolute nonsense.'
But Joe Di Paola, Unison Scottish organiser for local government, welcomed the deal. He said, 'Unison members have delivered considerable improvements to the original 2.5 per cent one-year offer. It is particularly important that we have got a deal that 'ring-fences' part of the long-term funding of local authorities for proper pay increases. '
Convention of Scottish Local Authorities vice-president Pat Watters said, 'I am delighted that Unison members overwhelmingly accepted the offer. This is a good deal for both sides, bringing certainty on pay until 2004.'