Families rely so much on local schools it’s only really when they close do we realise their full value not just to our children but families and the wider community.
The East Midlands has 2060 schools and 75,000 school support staff who are at the heart of our local community something we should certainly celebrate alongside our caring services and the NHS.
UNISON has been working hard supporting members working in schools making sure that our teaching assistants, technicians, school meals workers, admin, cleaning and estates staff are recognised for their contribution, alongside teachers and school leaders.
Schools are like all public services they rely on teams of people to make them work efficiently and effectively. School staff often feel their contribution is forgotten or missed, rarely do they get the recognition they deserve, and without them our schools would not function. They are as important as everyone else.
Lots of UNISON members in schools are still working helping to provide safe places for the children of key workers. Through this period the union has been working hard to make sure school support staff are recognised as key workers and employers are putting in place safe systems of work that allow our members to make their important contribution but to do so while managing risk.
“UNISON Branches and our local reps have been amazing during this difficult period, they’ve done everything from helping members who are worried about their wages, to supporting volunteers who have relocated to help keep hospital kitchens going said Chris Jenkinson, Regional Secretary, UNISON East Midlands.
The Union has been supportive, working alongside employers, helping find solutions to meet the challenge of Covid-19. But where we see sharp practice we’ve called it out, like in a private pre-school/after-school club where we had to step in and prevent employers who were proposing to lay-off staff when the union brokered Government furlough scheme is there to protect jobs.
The UNISON family is actively playing its part to keep the nation safe, not only are we on the front line of our NHS, in care home and in the community, emptying bins, but we are looking after the children of our own so they can look after all of us. Now is the time to be in a union together we can protect ourselves and build safer, stronger workplaces.
Useful links:
Don’t know how to call your local branch for help? Click on the UNISON branch finder: https://branches.unison.org.uk/
Join UNISON, get active, and help us deliver more for school members: https://join.unison.org.uk/
Want UNISON views on your rights if you are a school worker? Get the full facts here: https://www.unison.org.uk/at-work/education-services/key-issues/covid-19-closures/
Do you work for a private employer in a school setting? Details of the Government furlough scheme are here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-if-you-could-be-covered-by-the-coronavirus-job-retention-scheme