Teachers are set to refuse to go back to school under plans from the UK's biggest teaching union to tell its members to stay at home. The National Education Union (NEU) said it will advise its members of their legal right not to have to work in an unsafe environment. Dr Mary Bousted, the union's joint general secretary, said: 'Whilst we are calling on the Government to take the right steps as a responsible union we cannot simply agree that the Government's wrong steps should be implemented. 'That is why we are doing our job as a union by informing our members that they have a legal right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions which are a danger to their health and to the health of their school communities and more generally.' Seriously how????
More good news from the BBC, clarifying a story carried on Radio 5 live https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-5551824...tom2=twitter&at_medium=custom7&at_campaign=64
On one of the teaching groups I’m part of, they held a poll to get an idea after the above was announced and nearly 60% of people said they were going to work on Monday. Admittedly only a small sample but thought it was interesting. Many put the kids ahead of their own health.
Every single person who is going to work with other people are putting their colleagues ahead of their own health?
I'm all for union's protecting their members but this sets an extremely dangerous precedent that could bring the Country to a halt?Teachers aren't the only employees who feel 'unsafe' in these uncertain times,what of the NHS,The police,fire brigades,warehouseman,retail employees etc,etc.... If everyone adopts this attitude then we face an unprecedented situation of parents not being able to work due to watching their young,The NHS downing tools and supermarkets receiving nothing in the way of food deliveries because warehousemen,drivers and supermarket workers are at the exact same risk!!!
Don't forget the care workers doing home visits for the elderly and infirm, those working in care homes too. Many on minimum wage.
One issue is how guidance for schools says social distancing, face masks, limited numbers inside a room, etc are not required. Yet everywhere else they are.
Maybe cos kids just aren’t affected???? I’ve got a female colleague who has contracted it, her partner has too. They both feel flu type rough. Got three kids, kids are absolutely fine.
The list wasn't by any means comprehensive,just an example of how things can or could get out of control(my wife is a care worker and is going into homes of people with covid). Don't the heads at our schools have any input into how they organise things to protect their staff and their pupils?
I'm not knocking anyone here or singling out Teachers for criticism,just pointing out that this could escalate into something extremely serious if parents have to stay home and watch their kids....Surely there's some common sense approach that can and should be discussed in order to facilitate safety in schools? As you have pointed out,60% would carry on but if that's the benchmark on a national basis,then we have 200,000 teachers prepared to walk out of schools across the 4 nations...That's worrying.
Kids might not be affected but they can still carry and spread the virus. My mum's a teaching assistant in a primary school and they don't wear masks and the kids obviously don't socially distance (you can't exactly expect them to since they're kids). Every other workplace, including retail, NHS, factory work and all the other people who aren't working from home are expected to wear masks and follow strict guidelines. Schools don't have those guidelines, which is ****ing insane to me considering how many people will directly or indirectly come into contact with each other in that sort of setting.
As can all people spread the virus. Kids do wear masks at times in schools as they do in other work places. Supermarket staff home bargains staff aren’t wearing masks. This Is so ridiculous and I think the Union, and im a union supporter, are a disgrace for taking this stance.
I agree with this....The last thing this Country needs right now are Unions holding a gun to the heads of Government.
You're not really a union supporter if you think strike action against unsafe work conditions is a 'disgrace', are you? Strikes are supposed to be disruptive and inconvenient to force the employer, or in this case, the government/Department of Education, to make things safer.
But surely children above a certain age can be 'instructed' to wear masks at all times...I'm 59 years old and consider it a pain in the arse but I realise the importance and go along with it.
Super market staff aren’t wearing them at all and come into contact with far more people weekly than a teacher I imagine. This is the teaching union playing politics and it’s disgusting
