Despite their efforts, when it comes to pay they are not getting a fair deal. This year, their employers have offered them just a rise of 2.45 per cent.
Nursery workers are some of the lowest paid in the public sector, having an average wage of just £6.08 per hour. This offer means just 20p per hour for people on this rate. We are all seeing the impact of rising prices at the petrol pumps and supermarket checkout and every time another energy bill drops through our letterbox. The price of butter has risen by 62 per cent and bread by 20.3 per cent since this time last year.
Price rises on such essentials have a greater effect on the lowest paid, who spend more of their wages on the basics of life. Many of our members are getting in touch to tell us they are now having to make tough choices between which basics to have. Unison's own welfare fund has seen a 25 per cent jump in applications for help. The overwhelming majority are for paying basic expenses such as energy, rent and credit card bills.
This is not only bad for the staff - it's bad for the families who depend on nurseries to care for their children. As pay rates get worse, it gets harder to keep experienced workers or to attract new recruits. We run the risk of leaving nursery staff overworked, overstressed and demoralised.
But there is more money available to pay workers fairly. In the last year alone, local government staff have delivered more than £1 billion of efficiency savings. These savings could, and should be spent on funding a fairer increase for staff.
All these reasons have led our 600,000 members in local government to vote for strike action over their pay offer. This is not a decision our members have taken lightly. They are loyal public sector workers who enjoy making a positive contribution to their communities. But they cannot deliver vital services on empty stomachs, so the time has come to say enough is enough.
