Keeping Glasgow secondary schools open when support staff take strike action will be “abhorrent”, Scotland’s biggest teaching union has said.
School staff, including support assistants, catering staff and cleaners from the Unite, Unison and GMB unions, will walk out next week across Scotland, as part of action on local authority pay.
Glasgow support staff will strike from Tuesday 6 to Thursday 8 September, with all primary schools expected to be shut.
But the Glasgow branch of the EIS teaching union has condemned the decision to keep secondary schools open.
Glasgow EIS secretary Susan Quinn said the union was “firmly in support” of the action being taken, adding: “Schools cannot, and should not, be operating with only teachers present.
“This is dangerous and does not provide a suitable learning environment.
“It is abhorrent that the council should think it appropriate to open secondary schools without the appropriate and relevant support staff.
“Other local authorities are taking a less antagonistic approach by closing schools to pupils and teachers on strike days in the interests of protecting their health and safety.”
Ms Quinn said there had been reports of headteachers in the city being told to reject parental leave for teachers in all but “extreme, exceptional” circumstances, and to mark teachers who call in sick during the walkouts as having taken illegal strike action. Glasgow City Council, however, disputes this.
Ms Quinn said: “It is a further example of poor industrial relations in the council that they are now taking, in effect, secondary action against teaching staff by restricting their terms and conditions during industrial action, which they cannot lawfully participate in, according to UK government anti-union legislation.
“If our members cannot legally take strike action because they haven’t been balloted (yet), how can the council use other unions’ strike ballots to cancel sick leave and parental leave for teachers?
“Worst, perhaps, of all is that we know this instruction is verbal to headteachers and in direct contravention of written guidance which has been issued.”
Ms Quinn added: “We believe this to be a breach of terms and conditions and potentially discriminatory.”
The EIS is emailing Glasgow members about what to do during strike days, including advice on health and safety and childcare arrangements.
A Glasgow City Council spokeswoman said: “There was no intention to say that sick pay would be withdrawn.
“We do not know how that impression was given and we are happy to confirm that normal rules around sick pay will apply.
“We have been liaising with our secondary school estate contractor AMEY of their contingency plans and we will continue to discuss the concerns of the EIS and reassure them and take appropriate action if required in schools which we intend to keep open.
“Teachers are not being asked to do anything different from all council employees who were not part of the unions’ ballots in respect of attending their place of work or caring arrangements.”
Meanwhile, Stirling Council has written to parents and carers to inform them that nurseries, primary schools and additional support needs settings will close from 6 to 8 September.
Bannockburn, Stirling and Wallace High schools will also close to students, but all other secondary schools are to remain open during the three days of strike action.
Stirling Council leader Chris Kane said: “We’ve taken these decisions to ensure the safety and security of our young people and staff.
“We’ll issue more information for parents and carers shortly to confirm details on the learning and support provision we’ll put in place over the three days of the strikes, but it was important that we alerted parents and carers as soon as possible to the closures in order that everybody has time to put in place appropriate arrangements.”
