NURSES' leaders are outraged by their 1% national pay award, while

teaching unions south of the Border are threatening industrial action

because of the effect on jobs and class sizes of their unfunded 2.7%

award.

Unison head of health Bob Abberley condemned the treatment of

Britain's 500,000 nurses as ''an appalling national scandal''. He said

they had been betrayed by the Government with an increase which will

give a staff nurse an insulting #2.17 extra a week.

The union would be launching a major campaign by nurses and the public

to force the Government to offer at least the 2.5% awarded to hospital

doctors.

Mrs Christine Hancock, general secretary of the Royal College of

Nursing, said the offer was not enough. Inflation had gone up, average

pay had gone up, and there were growing nursing shortages.

A spokeswoman for the Royal College of Midwives said its members could

be pushed towards withdrawing their goodwill and changing their policy

on industrial action as a result of the pay award.

''It is difficult to believe that the profession which cares for

800,000 women and their babies every year can be treated in such a

mean-minded manner. Two hundred and thirty branches are currently

discussing whether or not to change RCM policy on industrial action and

I fear that this award will be the final straw,'' said Mrs Yvonne

Hewins, director of employment affairs for the RCM.

She added that the Government was showing contempt for women and

women's health care.

Ms Julia Allison, the general secretary of the RCM, expressed her

''total disgust'' over the pay award.

''Morale in midwifery is at an all-time low already and this

scandalous pay award will make things even worse. It will inevitably

lead to job losses and cuts in services,'' she said.

Ms Jocelyn Prudence, of Professions Allied to Medicine, which

represents physiotherapists, radiographers, occupational therapists,

dieticians, chiropodists, and related staff, said the 1% award was

''disastrous, far worse than expected.

''The Government's local pay experiment will set trust against trust

and create divisions among staff. The reality of local pay will be

reduced staff morale, increased costs, and longer hours and less leave

for staff. This is about political dogma, not patient care.''

There was one rule for trust chief executives, who could earn more

than #100,000, and another for those involved in patient care, who once

again were short-changed, she said.

Mr Jim Devine, Unison's senior regional officer in Scotland, said the

pay award was an insult to the country's 70,000 nurses and midwives.

''We totally condemn this penny pay deal, at a time when inflation is

running at 2.9% and is set to rise to 3.5% in April.''

He also criticised the prospect of a further 1.5% being awarded to

staff by hospital trusts on the basis on performance-related pay. This,

said Mr Devine, was a divisive and demoralising tactic.

However, the awards were welcomed by Mr Roy Lilley, of the NHS Trust

Federation, who said trust hospitals could now negotiate locally with

doctors and nurses.

Teaching unions in England and Wales stressed that the lack of extra

cash to fund the 2.7% increase would mean lost teaching jobs and half of

primary school pupils in classes of more than 30 -- many as high as 40.

The National Association of Schoolmasters/Union of Women Teachers said

the award was ''one unfunded settlement too many''. Its executive is to

recommend that its Easter conference authorise industrial action to

protect members faced with ''unreasonable class sizes''.

General secretary Nigel de Gruchy said: ''The demand for action from

our branches over class sizes is becoming irresistible.''

The smaller Association of Teachers and Lecturers also warned of the

danger of industrial action.

However, the biggest teaching union, the National Union of Teachers,

took a more measured line, with general secretary Doug McAvoy saying the

union would not be ''bounced'' into anything which would look like a

''Government victory''.

He said: ''Teachers will be demoralised that once again the Review

Body has toed the Government's line. Its job is to recruit, retain, and

motivate. This award does nothing for motivation.''

The tough Government line was greeted with dismay by local education

authorities, which say services have already been cut to the bone, and

school governors, who now face the responsibility of balancing budgets.

Chairman of the National Governors' Council Simon Goodenough said:

''School governors will be greatly disappointed that the Government has

ignored calls for full funding of the pay award.''

Mr Graham Lane, education chairman of the Association of Metropolitan

Authorities, said: ''This is disastrous. It means LEAs will not be able

to pay this award. There will be teacher redundancies and a dramatic

rise in class sizes.''

Although an education employer, he said: ''I do not blame NASUWT for

talking about industrial action. The award underpays teachers anyway and

the Government is not funding any of it.''

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