End violence in schools – Glasgow UNISON campaign launched
Fully fund council services
Stephen McCann, Glasgow City UNISON service and conditions officer (personal capacity)
In Glasgow, Unison’s education committee have launched a hugely important campaign to highlight violence in schools and early years experienced by their members.
These workers in support roles range from child development officers, support for learning workers, escorts and admin workers, who work alongside teachers and catering and facilities management staff.
The aim of the campaign is to highlight the unsafe working conditions the members face daily and being undervalued by their employer.
The campaign is asking Glasgow City Council to stand up and make changes like dealing with chronic understaffing and a lack of resourcing.
The current model is not fit for purpose and is severely letting down children in schools and early years. Statistics from the Scottish Government show almost 300,000 children have additional support needs.
Often children are waiting for years for a diagnosis and staff in schools are left unable to adequately support their needs. Councils must use proper training, risk assessments, increased use of reporting procedures and resources to deal with violence in the workplace.
Unison have sent out surveys and petitions for their members to record their own personal experience of violence at work and have held workshops and workplace and branch meetings, which have been member led and focused.
This issue is not unique to Glasgow or to schools and early years. Front line workers across various services and across the country in local government and elsewhere are experiencing increased amounts and levels of violence. The under reporting of incidents masks a much bigger problem.
We have seen a grassroots campaign led by the majority female workforce tackle this issue head on, highlighting this is not part of the job, they need to be listened to and change must happen urgently.
Of course, these issues do not happen by chance. They are a result of almost two decades of cuts in local government. Councils have seen budgets slashed by successive UK Governments and passed on by the Scottish Government.
Only with fully funded services, safe staffing levels and fair pay will we see the reverse of the decline we are witnessing daily.
Until then, and if the politicians do not listen to these key workers this issue will only escalate into an industrial dispute.
It’s about time that we had councillors who were prepared to stand up and refuse to implement cuts to public services and set no cuts budgets. This is the policy of Glasgow City UNISON branch.
The campaign has now gone national involving other branches across Unison and will only get bigger as workers stand up for themselves and understand that being in a trade union and working collectively, can they change this situation.
The demo taking place on Thursday 28th May at 7pm, Glasgow City Chambers – John Street – are where the workers of Glasgow City Council will make their voice heard loudly to the councillors.
