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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