Union members have been staging walkouts

The demonstration marked what their union Unison described as the "successful first phase of action in support of their pay and grading claim".

An estimated 5,000 staff walked out of council nurseries across Scotland on Tuesday in the biggest day of action undertaken by Unison members since the dispute began in May.

Meanwhile, Shetland Islands Council looks set to offer local nurses an interim pay rise until national wage negotiations reach a settlement.

Senior member of the council's executive committee discussed the issue in private before agreeing to recommend the move to the full council.

The nursery nurses are absolutely determined to win their claim Joe Di Paola Unison

Nursery nurses, who are paid about �13,000 a year, want a pay rise of some �4,000 a year to reflect the extra tasks they say they have had to undertake.

Many centres have either had to close or partially close when their areas were targeted by a rolling programme of strikes.

As well as strike action, Unison members are also boycotting additional duties which the union claims have been added to responsibilities since the last pay review 15 years ago.

Joe Di Paola, Unison's Scottish organiser for local government, said talks with council umbrella group Cosla had so far proved fruitless.

Mr Di Paola said that despite the onset of the summer holidays at the end of this week there would be no let-up in Unison's campaign and warned that some nurseries which operate over the summer could be affected.

He said: "We've had six weeks of very solid action. The nursery nurses are absolutely determined to win their claim."

Frank Russell: Review of nurses' responsibilities

Frank Russell, of the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) - the nurses' employers - said he was "disappointed" with Unison's stance.

He said Cosla had proposed a national job evaluation scheme to measure nurses' workload and staff could be graded at the end of that process.

This would include pay backdated to 1 April this year.

Asked why there has been no review of pay for 15 years, Mr Russell said: "I have to say the trade unions have not demanded any regrading through that time, it's only in the last 18 months that this has arisen."

Their exchange on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme continued with Mr DiPaola asking: "So, if you don't ask you don't get?

'Interim basis'

"There's no recognition by the employers that unless employees are prepared to take industrial action on the streets then you won't look at their grading?

"I'm sorry Frank, I find your attitude disappointing."

Mr Di Paola said Cosla should offer new money "on an interim basis" to address the serious shortfall in nurses' pay and then discussions on the job evaluation scheme could be conducted.

However, he said this could not happen without new money on the table and there has been no guarantee that all councils will accept the eveluation scheme.

Mr Russell said: "The regrading claim has to be evaluated properly and we have said that whatever the outcome is we will stongly recommend to every authority that they implement that and implement that from the first of April this year."