Hattersley and Mottram Community Media

This wonderful council of ours never tires of telling everyone how much they care for our community. They shout from the roof tops how they are an, Equal Pay, Equal Opportunity and, Investors of People Employer. Read on, then make your own mind up about that.

Under the new pay and grading scheme announced earlier this year, these Investors of People, and without prior consultation, have decided that people employed as Nursery Nurses in our Primary Schools deserve a pay CUT. Currently nursery nurses work a 32-5 hour week and are paid for school holidays, this being an agreement that has been in place for many years. However, the council now say that 32-5 hours constitutes part time working, therefore, they will cease to be paid for school holidays.

Listen to the words of a Nursery Nurse. " I have worked as a Nursery Nurse in Tameside schools for 24 years. I have NNEB qualification which I studied for full time for two years, plus I have relevant First Aid certificates which have to be renewed every three years. I have attended many varied training courses over the years to up date and add to my knowledge of child care, therefore I am able to give the best to the children in my care. Some of my skills include, Makaton Sign Language, Developing Speaking and Listening Skills, Programmes of study for Children with Communication and Language Difficulties. I work in a foundation unit responsible for a group of 12 to 15 children, and consider myself a valued member of a team of four, ALL with vital duties." Continuing she told me:" after 24 years of loyal service under terms and conditions that pay me for 52 weeks a year, suddenly the council are taking away those terms and conditions, and by doing so reducing my salary by £5,700 per year. This of course not only hits my standard of living now, but also my pension which will be halved, again this goes against all that we are being advised to do, which is, plan now for your retirement. Something I thought I had been doing for the last 24 years"

Ah, I hear you say, it must be nice to be off work during the Christmas and Easter periods, and what about those six long weeks they enjoy in the summer . Yes it would be nice if they were work free, but there are many duties they have to perform during so called holidays. School holidays are the time to attend training courses, necessary to keep up with the never ending changes in legislation for child care, plus other legal requirements. Training does not stop when they leave College or University. Also many days are spent in school during school holidays preparing for the following term.

In addition to the above Nursery Nurses have to perform other necessary work such as, Staff Meetings, Planning Meetings, Parent Consultation, Parent Evenings, IEP Meetings, Training Workshops and After School Clubs. None of which can be carried out during normal school hours. Many Parents enjoy a visit to the school fair or jumble sale and the many other events that take place after school hours, our Nursery Nurses are there helping to organise and run such events.

Christmas would not be the same without the school nativity play, and many a tear falls when the little four and five year olds march onto the stage to sing their little carol or recite a poem. But who is there to help should they stunble or forget ? who has guided them in rehersals ? the Nursery Nurse.

Their work also includes. Supporting teaching and learning, Providing challenges to develop learning, Record keeping, Parent consultation meetings, Liaising with other agency's eg. Speech Therapist, Social Workers ect. Provision of First Aid treatment, Changing childrens soiled and wet clothing, Managing challenging behavior through support programmes. And much, much more.

To add insult to injury, these very skilled and important members of our society, are being told that they have no right of appeal against these draconian measures, so much for the caring employer of the 21st century. Let us not forget that Nursery Nurses are trying to build a foundation for the youngest members of our society, helping them grow, guiding them towards a decent way of living, wiping tears and giving that little hug just when it's needed. Should these dedicated workers be forced to withdraw their good will and only work during school hours, stop attending courses in holiday periods, stop attending open nights and school plays outside of school hours, then our children will be that much poorer.

Much is made today about bullying in schools, and rightly so. Bullying can damage a child for life. However, it seems to me that the biggest bullies in Tameside schools, are our Councillors. We know times are difficult, cuts have to be made, but why attack the most vulnerable? are they easy targets.? I wonder why our top executives and Councillors don't set an example, and CUT their inflated expenses and allowances? Perhaps todays Labour leaders have a different way of looking at life, than the ones that I knew in the 1930's and 40's

Brian Hough
Community Reporter