Unison has campaigned for a national pay settlement

Stirling Council has agreed rises of up to 12% backdated to April 2003.

Nursery nurses in Perth and Kinross, South Lanarkshire, Aberdeen, Shetland and the Highlands and Islands have reached similar deals.

Unison has urged against local pay deals during its protracted dispute with Cosla over pay and conditions.

The union's Stirling branch secretary Marion Henderson said: "It's a good, respectable settlement, slightly outwith the more rigid national framework.

"If the offer we received from the council was made nationally I believe this dispute would be over."

This deal recognises nursery nurses' professionalism and provides them with a 21st century career structure Tom Coll Stirling Council

Stirling Council said the pay deal means a new salary scale for all nursery nurses ranging from �15,582 for newly qualified staff up to �18,441.

Councillor Tom Coll said: "This deal recognises nursery nurses' professionalism and provides them with a 21st century career structure.

"We are absolutely delighted."

Unison has criticised its local branches for making separate pay settlements with councils, accusing them of undermining the national strike campaign.

Nursery nurses, who are paid about �13,000 a year, want an increase of �4,000 a year to reflect the extra duties they say they have had to undertake.

Offer rejected

Cosla has repeatedly urged union officials to end the strike action and return to the negotiating table.

It has offered a new grading system which would enable fully qualified nurses to earn �18,000 a year - but Unison said this was unacceptable.

More than 4,000 nursery nurses are to be balloted on all-out strike action.

If approved, it would involve three days of action prior to an indefinite strike.