BRANCH RESPONSE TO CONSULTATION ON IMPACT OF CHANGES TO P1-P3 SCHOOL DAY

May 2010

No consistency in consultation
It has been difficult to respond to this review on behalf of UNISON's members. UNISON has members within after school clubs across Aberdeenshire. Each person received individualised letters with individual times to respond by. Some people received their letters 2 days after the proposed start of consultation began, leaving only 19 days to respond. Some staff received consultation letters before the school had decided what time their children would be finishing.

The end of the consultation process is different for many of the workers making a final date difficult to respond to by UNISON on behalf of its members.

The consultation is about the changes/increases of school hours for P1-3 pupils. This means that the end of the school day may change in some instances, necessitating a reduction in the requirements for after school care.

Most schools are changing finishing times for P1-3 pupils from 15 to 45 minutes if at all. The proposals to after school club staff invariably are for significantly more than the proposed end of school time for example - staff with 25 minute difference in school hours are proposed to lose 1 hour per day from their hours.Likewise staff with 45 minutes difference are also losing 1 hour from their daily hours. Why?

The details of the letter only explain the changes to P1-3 hours, nothing else. Any other changes to times for other purposes should not be included. The consultation is only about P1-3 hours. To include other changes without information or Consultation on reasons why etc. is unacceptable.

Unilateral changes unlawful
UNISON believes such changes constitute a unilateral change to contract without agreement and Consultation which are challengeable under law. Staff do not agree to any changes to their contractual hours above and beyond the change to the school day.

Staff have given much of their own time after hours to ensure the children are appropriately cared for when parents/guardians are delayed in collecting them before 6 pm often leaving at 6.15 - 6.30 etc, for which they receive no pay or thanks and are unable to recover the time due to the needs of the service.

Staff and UNISON feel Aberdeenshire Council could have recognised the additional hours and not in fact reduced the working day. Staff are extremely disillusioned by this whole process. They feel they have been intimidated and humiliated by a process that does not value the work they do. They feel that Aberdeenshire Council are using the opportunity of the change to the school day to save even more money at the expense of low paid, predominantly female, dedicated staff.

Inez Teece
Assistant Secretary

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