In brief...Nursery nurse members of

Nursery nurse members of the public service union Unison in Scotland have gathered 20,000 signatures - double their own number - in support of a petition calling on the Scottish Executive to set up a review into early years education and childcare. The petition said the early years sector should be recognised as a separate profession within overall education provision. It called for nursery nurses' qualifications to be standardised, and for the Executive to identify a career progression route for them. Last month Unison submitted a pay claim on behalf of nursery nurses to the Scottish Joint Negotiating Council which includes representatives of unions and local authorities. It said the last review of nursery nurses' terms and conditions took place in 1988, while the job has changed dramatically since then. The pay claim, based on a standard 35-hour week, 52-week year, would see nursery nurses paid from 16,173 to 20,397, senior nursery nurses paid up to 27,687, depute heads paid up to 30,504 and heads paid up to 33,483. A nursery nurse in a school or class would earn from Pounds 13,102 to 18,195.