Early years workers in North Lanarkshire being voting today on whether to strike over council's 'fire and rehire' plans

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Early years workers in North Lanarkshire will begin voting today on whether to strike over the council’s "fire and rehire" plans which would leave workers thousands of pounds worse off.As previously reported by Lanarkshire Live, the local authority is proposing to make early years practitioners (grade 9) redundant, then re-employ them on a lower wage (grade 7).UNISON say that means full-time staff could see a pay cut of up to £6500 - and that the proposals would affect 375 workers.The Lanarkshire Live app is available to download now.

Get all the news from your area – as well as features, entertainment, sport and the latest on Lanarkshire’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic – straight to your fingertips, 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories, and allows you to customise your page to the sections that matter most to you.Head to the App Store and never miss a beat in Lanarkshire - iOS - Android UNISON’s consultative ballot in April saw an overwhelming majority (96.9 per cent) voting to reject the plans to downgrade their posts with more than nine in 10 (91 per cent) voting in favour of industrial action.Marie Quiqley, UNISON North Lanarkshire branch secretary, told Lanarkshire Live: “Strike action is always the last resort but early years practitioners have made it very clear that they will do what it takes to have these plans scrapped.“These are the workers who nurture young children and prepare them for school, identifying their needs and ensuring they are met.“Demands on early years practitioners are increasing because they’re seeing more children with increased educational needs, as a result of being unable to socialise during the pandemic.“And at a time when it’s harder