Glasgow school janitors make "Wanted" plea for Council leader
around 100 staff are on a 3 day strike in a bitter pay dispute and are appealing for Councillor Frank McAveety to listen to their concerns
Glasgow primary school janitors are set to wear cowboy hats and sheriff badges in a "Wanted" call to city Councillors.
Around 100 members of Unison are taking part in three days of indsutrial action in a bitter pay dispute, the second wave of industrial action this year.
They are accusing their employer Cordia, an arms length body of Glasgow City Council, of refusing to pay them for so-called "dirty" jobs like other janitors in the public sector do.
The protest will see the janitors stand outside the Cordia headquarters and Glasgow City Council chambers wearing "Wanted" placards featuring the face of Councillor Frank McAveety.
The leader and four others are being accused of failing to speak to the union about the pay concerns.
Sam Macartney, UNISON Branch Officer, said: “If we do come across these politicians then we will ask them to get round the negotiating table. They are wanted for talks. Our jannies deserve justice.”
Council spokeswoman said: “This dispute is between the employers, Cordia, and the section of janitors who are members of the union, UNISON.
“Contrary to the impression given in sections of the media it does not involve every school janitor and is inaccurate to say that there have been no discussions to try to settle the dispute.
“The council will continue to work with Cordia to ensure that our schools and nurseries will be open for business as usual.
“Our expectation is that all Breakfast Clubs will operate as normal during the three day industrial action.
However, parents and carers need to be aware that this is subject to change at short notice depending of local arrangements and circumstances.”
A spokesperson for Cordia Services LLP said: “Cordia has exhausted each of the stages of its formal grievance process with the janitorial staff who are participating in industrial action. “The organisation is working closely with Glasgow City Council Education Services to ensure there is minimal disruption at affected schools. Parents should be reassured that any playground matters will be addressed by appropriately trained personnel and that office staff are still on-site for school entry procedures. “It must also be noted that while pupil welfare is of paramount importance to Cordia employees based in schools, any safety related issues such as fire precautions, are always the responsibility of the head teacher and their staff who will continue to carry out full risk assessments throughout the duration of strike action.”