Pay cut protest (From Penarth Times)

Pay cut protest

VALE nursery nurses and teachers' aides picketed a council meeting last night over a dispute concerning new terms and conditions.

The protest outside the meeting of full council marks the beginning of a campaignover salary cuts.

Ralph Cook, a spokesperson for the south Wales school staff support group, and whose wife is a Vale nursery nurse, said: "The new terms see savage cuts to nursery nurse salaries by up to 3,630, depending on length of service and hours worked.

"Alternatively, those nursery nurses with five years experience who are able to accept an increase o f 175.5 hours worked annually might see their salary increased by just 305.19 a year.

"They would therefore be working those extra hours for 1.7 pence per hour.

"The impact on teachers' aides is similar. They face an increase in hours worked annually by 97.5 and up to 1,327.08 cuts in salary."

Adult helpers, who are paid 8,785, are set to benefit and will see their hours increase from 30 hours a week to 32.5. If they are slotted into Level 2 their pay will increase to just over 10,000.

Mr Cook added: "As a result of the greater bargaining power and political influence wielded by teachers' unions, the pay gap between teachers and other classroom staff has widened significantly in recent years.

"Current pay levels are creating resentment in schools with nursery nurses, in particular, campaigning for improved recognition.

"The Vale Council has introduced a salary scheme that fails to address equal pay issues and fails to meet the requirements of the Workforce Remodelling agenda by actually cutting the salaries of the best qualified staff."

A Vale council spokesperson said: "The Welsh Assembly Government is the signatory to a national agreement on raising standards and addressing teachers' workloads in schools.

"That agreement is designed to free teachers from bureaucratic and administrative tasks and will, from September, 2005, include 10 per cent non contract time for all teachers.

"The implementation of this national agreement represents a significant challenge to all councils and schools.