Strike Action – Important Update

After the union’s local government committee agreeing today that the strikes will continue local strike arrangements are detailed below.

Pickets

All schools and affected ELCs will be closed to children and pupils on each of the three strike days. A small number of schools will be open for teaching staff and non-striking employees – mainly UNISON members exempt from taking strike action and GMB members who do not have a mandate to strike. Those employees not on strike will require to sign in at one of the schools open on each of three days of strike action. The branch has decided to organise pickets at three schools on the morning of Tuesday 26th September – the first day of strike action. These are more of protests than pickets and intended to remind members of the public of the strikes and the reasons for them. Members on strike are asked to attend one of the picket locations next Tuesday from 8am to no later than 9.30pm. At each picket location there will be at least three branch stewards easily identifiable wearing UNISON tabards. The will have placards and flags to give to striking members on each picket line and we would encourage as many striking members as possible to join these picket lines. The schools identified for picketing are:

• St Johns PS, Port Glasgow
• Notre Dame HS, Greenock
• All Saints PS, Greenock.

Exemptions

The following members are exempt from taking strike action:

•             Any pregnant employee who has notified the Council of the expected date of birth

•             Employees who have intimated that they are in the last year of their employment prior to retiring and who are in the Strathclyde Pension Fund

•             Modern apprentices

Preparation of Learning Packs

PSA members should not be involved in the preparation of learning packs for pupils if this is directly connected to the strike action. In other words if you are only being asked to prepare these packs due to the strike action then you should not agree to this.

Strike Pay

The council have advised that members will have strike day deduction taken from wages in the November pay – 8th November. This will give us sufficient time after next week’s strike action to communicate with you on the arrangements that will be put in place for strike pay and top up pay.

If you have any questions please contact your workplace steward or the Branch office.