Staff across Scotland have joined industrial action

Staff in West Dunbartonshire and East Lothian will return to work from next week.

The settlements mean that 22 out of Scotland's 32 councils have now struck pay deals, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (Cosla) said.

Union chiefs said that while they encouraged the remaining nursery nurses to make settlements, they would continue to back those still on strike.

Cosla spokesman David Kennedy said: "We're obviously pleased it's gaining momentum and would look to the remaining 10 council areas to settle as soon as possible."

Unison ended the impasse of the seven-week walkout last month when it dropped demands for a national pay settlement for nursery nurses

It's going to breed resentment when you've got nursery nurses in a neighbouring authority earning �1.50 an hour more Joe Di Paola Unison spokesman

On Friday, the union urged members not to settle for low offers and warned that the disparity across Scotland in pay deals would breed resentment.

West Dunbartonshire's nursery nurses had accepted an offer of �9.83 an hour while East Lothian had won �10.13 an hour, said Unison.

Nursery nurses in five authority areas - including Glasgow, Edinburgh and Renfrewshire - last week rejected offers of �9.83 or less.

The union's bosses have accused councils of trying to bully striking nursery nurses into accepting low pay offers.

Unison spokesman Joe Di Paola said: "Really, �9.83 is not enough and it's crazy nursery nurses are paid different rates when they do the same job across Scotland.

"Of course it's going to breed resentment when you've got nursery nurses in a neighbouring authority earning �1.50 an hour more than you."