Ms Smith told Nursery World, 'I believe that local authorities are getting wraparound care for nothing. The only way nursery nurses can make up their pay is by running out-of-school and holiday clubs. They're paying us the same money for more work.'
She will tell delegates, 'I have been told that my experience and qualifications do not count towards my pay and I am paid on my job profile only. This means that someone straight from college with fewer qualifications and no experience could be paid the same.'
Ms Smith, who has worked as a nursery nurse in primary schools for 23 years, has an NNEB, is a trained speech and language assessor and has completed one year of a Foundation Degree.
Under single status, which was implemented in Sunderland last October, nursery nurses are being moved from 32.5 hours week on a 52-week contract to a 37-hour week, and will be paid during term-times only. Ms Smith's £15,000 salary will be cut to around £13,000 unless she agrees to work 4.5 more hours a week.
Pay is protected until October 2009, but there is increasing pressure to come out of protection and take on extra hours now because there is no guarantee work will be available in three years' time.
She said, 'When I asked how I was to find another seven weeks' work to make up my pay I was told to cover holiday clubs. My 45 weeks' pay will be spread over 52 weeks. I will also be seven weeks short in contributions to my pension and this will have an effect on my payouts when I retire.'
She says the local authority has recommended to schools that nursery nurses make up the hours through 'non-contact activities', such as planning and preparation. But nursery nurses say that they are being asked to take on supervisory roles along with the running of breakfast and out-of-school clubs and summer holiday playschemes.
Stephen Payne, PAT regional officer for the North East, said that some nursery nurses in other local authorities have kept the same terms and conditions under single status.
He said, Sunderland is 'out of step with quite a number of local authorities. We've got dedicated people and it's not valuing their qualifications and training.'
