One Workforce

1
One Workforce

• Ben Thomas
• National Officer
• Education and Childrens Services Unit

2
Background

• UNISON
• Largest union across childrens workforce
  representing over 350,000 staff.
• Members in early years, schools, social care,
  play, careers, youth work, health, sports and
  leisure, probation and criminal justice.

3
Why Quality Matters

• The quality of staff is the greatest single
  contributing factor to the quality of a childs
  experience of childcare.

4
Pay and the link to quality
5
Pay and Professionalism

• Clear discrepancies in pay rates
• Barrier to integrated working
• Differences in professional status
• Link to recruitment and retention

6
Low Pay

• IDS Nursery Staff Survey 2009
• Median Pay for Nursery Assistant in PVI setting
  5.89 p/h
• Median Pay for Nursery Nurse 6.37
• National Minimum Wage 5.73 p/h
• Staff Turnover rates of 18

7
Pay and Quality Staff

• Pay is most significant factor in the low paid
  changing jobs
• Pay has a direct link to quality of recruits
• Pay is linked to the diversity of the workforce

8
Issues Going Forward

• National Workforce Partnership
• Next Steps a representative body?
• Single Funding Formula
• Wholly Qualified workforce by 2015
• School Support Staff Negotiating Body
• Change in Government?

9
Details

• www.unison.co.uk
• b.thomas_at_unison.co.uk
• UNISON
• 1 Mabledon Place
• London
• WC1H 9AJ
• UK