Dear Member,
“What about Us, Nicola?” Update
GMB Scotland have submitted the ‘What about Us, Nicola’ open letter to the First Minister in advance of any announcement this afternoon about the return of schooling across the country.
The Scottish Government need to understand and value your commitment to keeping schools open throughout the pandemic.
Something that is sadly lacking from Scottish Ministers, and we know that applause will not cut it anymore it’s about your safety and dignity in the workplace.
GMB Scotland make apologies for highlighting your health and safety concerns within the workplace given the fantastic job you all do within our schools.
Please remember regardless of any announcement this afternoon it’s about your safety and the value placed against your commitment in keeping schools open during a time of national emergency.
The GMB will continue to demand a whole school approach to mass testing and vaccinations, and this will be our biggest priority in the coming weeks and months.
But we need to be ready for a potential call-to-action should the Scottish Government continue not provide a clear pathway to testing and vaccinations within schools for all staff.
This is simply politics which under values your commitment and comprises your safety within the workplace.
The reality is that without urgent priority access to vaccinations for support staff, the cycle of community transmission in schools will not be broken when children and young people start to return to schooling.
We need to continue to recruit and train new rep(s) in every school to ensure that we are holding your employer and the Scottish Government accountable for their action in providing a safe working environment in all schools.
Please email me if you’re interested in becoming a school-based rep.
Kind regards
Stephen Massey
GMB Scotland Schools Support Team
Posted: 3rd February 2021