Clean Schools, Safer Schools – COVID Champions!

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Background

School cleaning has been identified as one of the campaign targets of the UNISON Scotland Education Issues Group (EIG). Education workers are at the coalface in dealing with COVID 19 being required to ensure that education workplaces are COVID safe day to day as well as to be on hand to deep clean when necessary. It is fair to state that the COVID cases within education establishments mean that our members are constantly in use and are key to Clean Schools being Safer Schools.

“Clean Schools, Safer Schools – School Cleaners – Covid Champions!” would form part 1 – the first cog in the education wheel – of the education staff’s campaign. This campaign can then be replicated across other workgroups e.g. Clean Schools, Safer Schools – EYP’s Covid Champions! etc…

Education members are employed across Scotland in all local authorities. Many Local Authorities have employed temporary cleaners during the pandemic and some local authorities have required to utilise agency cleaners having been unable to recruit temporary workers. The Scottish Government has made extra funding available to employ more cleaners, however, only some LA’s have taken up the extra funding and UNISON’s own cleaning members telling us that they do not have the resources available to them to keep our schools as clean as they would want them to be.

The UNISON RMS (membership system) identifies where each member is based (or was based at the time of joining); some further mapping is required to provide this detail. There is no current mapped detail of where education support staff are members of other trade unions.

Total members working in an educational setting (schools nurseries and FE) across Scotland  22328

It is relevant to note that traditionally many school cleaners will join Unite or the GMB.

Aims

• To grow UNISON strength and membership across all education Scottish establishments, starting with cleaners and moving on to other education workgroups.
• To recruit members and organise education activists across Scotland
• To establish UNISON as the union for all school staff

Process

This campaign follows the same model as many recent campaigns (please see full campaign plan attached). The EIG are asking regional staff to work with their LG branches to identify education staff (cleaners in the first instance), make contact, have an initial conversation (scripts and recording sheets attached) and encourage them to become active by attending a UNISON H&S webinar (either Risk

Assessments or Workplace Inspections). This allows us to use already established and known formats of training to engage with existing members.

Courses can be run locally at a branch level, or regionally (by the EIG Organising team) and will tie in with existing structures for recording of training with Activist Education.

We are also asking you to use the graphics provided on your social media outlets to promote the campaign and to follow and promote to your members the EIG Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/groups/409180023494350)

This campaign can be replicated for any workgroup within education services, although it is planned to commence with cleaning staff.

Branches (or individual members) are then able to nominate Covid Champions at the conclusion of each of the campaign. EIG will select a winner and present award with photo opportunity for media release in conjunction with the B&C team.

Timeline

There is a timeline noted in the campaign plan, but this is indicative only. As given school closures and staggered start backs this has already slipped somewhat. However, this campaign does need to be run during the ongoing pandemic, so some recognition of this needs to be taken by both staff and branches. 

Resources

• Social Media Graphics – done for many workgroups, if you want them for any other groups please let us know.
• Script for calling members
• Recording sheet for members calls
• Link to EIG Facebook page – https://www.facebook.com/groups/409180023494350

Don’t lose your vote, vote safely, sign up for a postal vote.

Life is busy and uncertain. Things can go wrong on the day and sometimes we miss the chance to have our say.

This is even more likely as the pandemic persists. You may be ill or have to self-isolate on polling day. You may be worried about going to a busy polling booth due to the virus. So don’t take the risk of losing your voice. Sign up for a postal vote and vote at your leisure from home.

Scottish Parliament decisions impact on those who use public services and those who deliver them, so it’s vital UNISON members have their say. You can use your vote on May 6 to save our NHS, help our schools, protect our communities and make a real difference to the people you care about.

There’s not long to go till election day so it’s important you make sure you’re registered to vote.

Registering is easy and can be done online . The deadline for registering and getting a vote in the election is midnight on April 19.

There are three ways to vote: in person, by post and by proxy. You can find out more about how you can vote here.

Anyone can get a postal vote as long as they apply by 5pm on April 6. Registering for a postal vote is easy and can be done online.

Make sure you register to vote and on May 6 use your vote for public services, and those who deliver them.