Key facts
- GMB members at six Barnsley council nurseries are striking over plans to transfer them to private companies.
- Turnout in the GMB strike ballot was 100%, with every member backing the walkout.
- Barnsley council said there is no legal duty for councils to run nursery services.
- The council said the change would reduce the amount of council tax payers' money needed to support the nurseries.
- Council leader William Brown said the transfer was taken to protect jobs and retain services for families.
- GMB regional organiser Victoria Austin said staff were told of pension changes 36 hours before the transfer was due.
GMB members at six nurseries run by Barnsley council began strike action on November 9, 2026, over the Reform UK-led council's decision to transfer the nurseries to private companies. The workers, all women, are striking for the first time, according to the report.
Turnout in the GMB strike ballot was 100%, with every member backing the walkout. Victoria Austin, a GMB regional organiser, said the council told workers about the impact on their pensions 36 hours before the transfer was due to take place. She said the council should be "singing that from the rooftops" about the staff's work, and that Reform was "not interested" in the workers' fight and was "wanting to build a legacy around balancing the books".
The council said there was no legal duty for councils to run nursery services and the change would "reduce the amount of council tax payers' money needed to support the nurseries". It said that after receiving legal advice that staff were no longer eligible for the local government pension scheme before the transfer, "that information was shared quickly with staff and trade unions".
William Brown, the leader of Barnsley council, 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." He said additional provision had been made for families on the three strike days and the council was continuing to engage with the union.
One nursery is shuttered after the council deregistered it with Ofsted to allow the private provider to register, but the provider then pulled out, according to the report. The plans began under the previous Labour administration, whose councillors had reassured nursery workers that their pay and benefits, including pensions, would stay the same.
Workers at Darfield nursery said the strike was also about protecting the families they support. Charlotte Hawe said: "We're often the first point of contact. I've arranged lots of food parcels for families who need them." Lucy Kolconko said: "We just won't have time to do these things. We've done all this work and the council has turned on us."