Early years staff to vote over nurseries strike

Nursery workers in Barnsley are to be formally balloted over strike action in a row over a change to pensions.

Last year, the council agreed to transfer six of its nurseries - in Thurnscoe, Worsbrough, Athersley, Grimethorpe, Penistone and Wombwell - to another provider after a review of its sites.

However, the GMB union said despite repeated promises that workers would keep their existing local government pensions, staff had since been told they would instead be moved onto the private provider's statutory pension scheme.

Reform UK council leader William Brown said while he respected the right to strike, the authority would not allow the threat of industrial action to "dictate our decisions".

Barnsley Council has said the new provider could offer more and extended childcare than was currently available, and the change would also reduce the amount of council taxpayers' money needed to support the nurseries.

The authority has been consulting with early years workers, but the GMB said its members were unhappy with a change in their terms and conditions which the union said would result in a significantly lower payout at retirement and which also removed the death in service entitlement for its members.

A GMB spokesperson said an indicative industrial ballot had been closed early after 100% of staff had voted and said they would be ready to take part in a formal strike ballot.

That ballot would get under way on 5 October, they said.

Vicky Austin, GMB organiser, said the result of the indicative vote "sends a powerful message to the Barnsley Council leadership".

"These nursery workers love what they do, but they will not stand by and allow their hard-earned pensions to be ripped up by politicians in the town hall," she said.

It was "essential that Barnsley bosses listen to their staff and urgently reverse this decision", Austin added.

"If they do not, parents and children face an autumn of disruption as action escalates."

Responding, Barnsley Council said it did not have a legal obligation to run nurseries and it could not provide the level of childcare needed within its budget constraints.

In a statement, Brown said he knew the "the pension issue matters to staff".

"There was discussion about whether staff could stay in the local government pension scheme, and further legal advice later made clear they are not eligible," he said.

"That information was shared quickly with staff and trade unions in spring this year."

Brown explained that while regulations known as Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) protected staff terms and conditions, "it does not automatically protect pensions".

He said that he understood the review had been "unsettling" for staff and he was "disappointed" by the industrial action ballot.

"If staff do make the decision to strike, we'll do everything we can to keep services going," he said.

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