This morning at the NI Assembly Education Committee, evidence on the re-opening of schools was delivered by representatives of the NIC-ICTU ETUG (the Education Group of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions) who represents over 37,000 Support and Teaching staff within the NI Primary and Secondary Education system.
The trade union delegation was led by ETUG chair Maxine Murphy-Higgins (NASUWT)
The union representatives spoke mostly for support staff which includes school bus drivers, classroom assistants, caterers, caretakers and other workers in the school community. Alan Law (NIPSA & ETUG vice-Chair), Kieran Ellison (UNITE) and Louise O’Hara (UNISON)
The evidence comprised an outlining of a typical school day and pointed out the risks of infection across the estate and functioning of any school.
The ETUG’s ‘key asks’ of the NI Assembly Education committee were:
1. A clear definition of a close contact that should not be unique to Education. For example if someone stays over in someone else’s home they are deemed a close contact but not a sibling to lives in the same house.
2. Masks and other mitigations including Enhanced cleaning must continue. ventilation and the use of carbon dioxide monitors to establish if the ventilation is sufficient
3. Risk assessments must be reviewed considering the levels of transmission.
4. Request that the committee seek a 4 week review of the current PHA guidelines which should include some level of detail in relation to the number of positive cases between day 2 and day 8.
5. Staff should be advised on positive cases particularly those who are in the CV and CEV categories.
6. Consultation with unions from the Education Authority deserves more than it being issued on a Friday for a Monday comment, as has happened recently.
