Nursery staff walk out over pensions dispute

Staff from six nurseries in South Yorkshire have gone on strike in a dispute over pensions.

More than 30 staff walked out on Monday in protest against a move by Barnsley Council to transfer the running of the nurseries to the private sector.

The council said the decision was made to protect jobs and retain services for families, but early years workers said it would result in a reduced pension.

Speaking on behalf of workers on the picket line in Grimethorpe, GMB union organiser Vicky Austin said: "They do it with a heavy heart, they absolutely love the work, they do this job not for the money because they're already low paid.

"They do it for the families and the communities they serve."

Austin said the changes to the pension scheme could leave workers "£10,000 worse off in retirement".

"That's a substantial loss in their retirement that protects them and their families," she added.

The council originally agreed to transfer the running of the nurseries - located in Thurnscoe, Worsbrough, Athersley, Grimethorpe, Penistone and Wombwell - in 2025 after a review of its sites.

All six were closed on Monday due to the industrial action.

The union said staff had been told they would be moved onto the private provider's statutory pension scheme, despite previous assurances they would keep their local government pensions.

Barnsley Council said the new provider could offer wider childcare than was currently available, with the change reducing the amount of council taxpayers' money needed to support the nurseries.

Austin said negotiations with the council had "hit a brick wall".

"We recently had a meeting with the council - there were no decision makers in that room," she said.

"They didn't bring anything to the table, they didn't bring any solution and we're still sat waiting."

Amanda King, 51, who works at a nursery in Athersley, said the council could have looked harder at "alternative models".

"If the private provider wants to take the nurseries on as a money-making business, they could have looked at different hours, different structures or running the business more efficiently," she said.

"But, two years down the line, they never even attempted to try that."

Emma Jones, 35, who works in Darfield, said she's worried about how families would be impacted by the change.

"With the council nurseries, it's all about caring for your children and making sure they get the best possible start in life," she said.

"There's vulnerable families in Barnsley and they need that extra support."

Further strike action is set to take place on 18 November and 26 November.

Councillor William Brown, leader of Barnsley Council said, "alternative activities" for impacted families had been arranged.

In response to the strike action, Brown said: "We're disappointed that GMB members have voted in favour of strike action.

"The decision to transfer these nurseries to another provider was taken to protect jobs and retain these services for families.

"We're continuing to engage with GMB representatives to see if we can find a way forward to end this action and prevent further disruption to services for families."

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