 Nursery nurses have been on all-out strike for three weeks |
A union leader representing striking nursery nurses has repeated his demand for a national deal to end the long-running dispute. Council leaders in seven areas have indicated that they want to follow 11 other authorities who have secured local deals with nursery nurses.
But Joe Di Paola of Unison said a national deal with council body Cosla was the only way of ending the action
He said that was the view of staff in the remaining council areas.
Officials in Glasgow, Edinburgh, North Ayrshire, East Dunbartonshire, West Lothian, East Ayrshire and Fife said the dispute has gone on too long.
They said they would be willing to agree "broadly similar" deals to those already struck in 11 other local authorities. Councillor Frank Russell, of the local authority umbrella group Cosla, said he believed only local pay deals would end the industrial action which escalated to an all-out strike three weeks ago.
He said: "This statement from key council leaders shows the determination in all councils to end this dispute and we would encourage Unison to respond in a positive manner.
"There is and always has been a way to settle this dispute and it is Unison who are preventing local settlements.
 Joe Di Paola has insisted on a national deal |
"Although it will not be easy, all Scotland's councils will be able to find the money to allow them to sit down and thrash out a deal locally with Unison." But Unison said it would hold out for a national settlement.
Scottish organiser Mr Di Paola said: "It could be settled if we sit down and reach a deal with Cosla nationally because that is what we're supposed to do.
Referring to the local deals, he said: "Those deals are all different, so which one will we match? Will we match the worst one or the best one?
"What we've said all along is whatever the nursery nurses want is where we will go, we're not leading them by the nose, they're telling us what they want to happen.
"So far, in the 21 councils that haven't settled - they've all had offers or offers of talks - and we've asked them, 'do you want us to talk to the councils' and the vast majority have said 'don't even talk to them, we want a national settlement'."
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What we've said all along is whatever the nursery nurses want is where we will go, we're not leading them by the nose, they're telling us what they want to happen 
