Union says pupil safety at risk in North Ayrshire
GMB Trade Union has consulted its Members at North Ayrshire Council who work in schools after £500,000 cuts were announced by this council in its Education Services.
GMB Trade Union asked its Members – who are employed as Clerical Assistants, Pupil Welfare and Home Inclusion Officers – “Do you think parents would be concerned about their child’s safety if there was a reduction in front line services at their child’s school? 100% of the responses received by GMB answered ‘Yes’ to this question.
Paul Arkison of GMB Scotland commented: “This is a seriously worrying development, as this information has been provided by those who know best, and that is GMB Members who work in the schools”.
GMB Trade Union held a consultation survey during December asking its Members 4 questions relating to workload and pupil safety, and with these answers now being provided by its Members, GMB Trade Union is now calling on North Ayrshire Council to reconsider the move to make these cuts and also calling on the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning to intervene.
GMB’s Paul Arkison went on to say: “This is the harsh reality of what happens when huge spending cuts are put in place. “The impact of these cuts will be felt far and wide. “With staff numbers reducing and hours being cut our Members will see an increased workload with less pay, but in addition to this, GMB Members have identified that the safety of school children will be placed in jeopardy, which is a concern to everyone.”
GMB Trade Union is now making a further request to the Angela Constance MSP, Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning to intervene as North Ayrshire Council plan to make these cuts within the next few months.
Paul Arkison of GMB commented on the results of his trade union’s survey: “The findings from our survey shows that there is real concern about the safety of school pupils if there are cuts to frontline services within North Ayrshire’s schools. “Further to this, there is clear information coming through that if these cuts are progressed then there will be a severe negative impact on a child’s learning experience. “With all this evidence now emerging, the GMB Trade Union has again written to the Cabinet Secretary for Education and Lifelong Learning asking her to directly intervene in an attempt to halt these unprecedented cuts within North Ayrshire Council’s schools.”
A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “Since the decision was taken to make £500,000 worth of savings from our Education Service, hundreds of Council employees have been involved in the process as we move forward with our proposals.
“While we respect the views of the 18 people who took part in this survey, we don’t think the findings paint a statistically accurate picture.
“We have consulted with staff and Trade Unions throughout and have kept them fully informed .
“At the review stage of the process, staff were invited to take part in an exercise to gather detailed information on the breadth and scope of their individual roles. They also took part in focus groups and feedback sessions. This information is being used to help shape our proposals.
“The safety of children is, and always will be, a priority, and will certainly not be compromised by our proposals.
“We have made significant strides in improving the educational attainment of North Ayrshire pupils over a number of years now and we are confident this review will not be detrimental to that success.
“We are looking at ways in which we can modernise and streamline our business and administration services to ensure they provide the best support possible for our teachers and for our pupils.
“We’re confident that we will continue to produce well-rounded, first-class pupils who continue to move into a positive destination when they leave school.”