Dear Member
Hello again! We hope you and your loved ones are keeping safe and well. We wanted to start today’s update off with a reading suggestion. Axel Scheffler has illustrated a digital book for primary school age children, free for anyone to read on screen or print out, about the coronavirus and the measures taken to control it. Published by Nosy Crow, and written by staff within the company, the book has had expert input: Professor Graham Medley of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine acted as a consultant, and the company also had advice from two head teachers and a child psychologist.
We attach the link here, if you’d like to download this free book.
free-information-book-explaining-coronavirus-children-gruffalo-illustrator-axel-scheffler/
Schools
Wirral Unison has been clear that the broader opening of schools should only take place when there is clear scientific evidence to show that this can occur safely and that there is appropriate PPE, testing etc in place for staff and pupils. There are reports in the press today that scientists have found that children may be as infectious as adults and have therefore cautioned against the reopening of schools. We do note that that the Education Minister said yesterday that schools will only be opened in a phased manner and with as much notice as possible. We welcome this approach provided it is in accordance with the scientific evidence. The minister also ruled out schools opening during the summer holidays as a way of helping pupils catch up with their education. This will be welcomed by many of our members who work in schools, however we do not know what this means in practice. If the lockdown is continuing into July will schools be open to provide childcare or will alternative facilities be available? Once again, the information coming from our national government is sketchy.
As a union that seeks to engage in social issues, we are acutely aware that school closures are most impactful on those children from disadvantaged backgrounds. It is incumbent on Government, having made the decision to close schools that they support these children. We are aware that not every pupil has access to computers, broadband etc it is therefore disappointing that although the Government promised 200,000 laptops to increase access it has now been announced that these will not arrive until June.
Extra Funding for Local Authorities
In allocating extra money this month the Government once again appears to have let down Northern Councils. Earlier this month, the Government announced that they would be allocating an additional £1.6 billion to councils on top of the £1.6 billion they provided in March to assist with efforts to manage Coronavirus. When the Government allocates funding to Local Authorities there are two tried and testing formulas for deciding how that money will be allocated. In March, one of those formulas was used which seemed a fair and reasonable approach. However, yesterday in announcing the allocation of funds the Government appears to have applied a different formula. This has meant that council’s such as Waverley, Wealden and Welwyn Hatfield in the leafy south have seen an increase in their funding of up to 3,500%(!), Wirral meanwhile has seen a cut in funding of approximately 25%. We disagree with this approach which could, if you were cynically minded, appear to be playing politics with the response to the Corona virus crisis.
Corona virus and care homes
We are now all aware of the tragic scale of deaths that are happening in care homes, as figures are finally being published by the government. We know that there have been deaths in care homes on Wirral and figures released by the government yesterday show that as of 21 April, nearly a third of care homes on Wirral had reported an outbreak of the virus. And yet despite this increased risk to staff there is still an absence of appropriate levels of sick pay for Care Workers who need to be absent from work as a result of Corona virus. Notwithstanding that the funding Wirral is receiving from the Government has been cut by 25% they are still receiving an extra £8.8 million; a proportion of this could address the sick pay situation.
Public access services
You might recall that back in March we were calling upon the Council for the swift closure of all none essential services, following negotiation it was agreed that only essential health and safety and maintenance works would continue during the lockdown. We have now discussed and agreed with the Council that before there is any move to extend operations in these areas there will be full consultation with the unions on any health and safety issues. We will of course keep our members updated as to the progress of these discussions but are assured by the Council that there are no imminent plans for these services to operate more broadly.
Cyber bullying- We Believe You!
Regrettably, we know that bullying in the work place happens- this is not to say it’s acceptable and you don’t have to put up with it!
If you feel that you have been bullied at work, Wirral UNISON believes you; we accept your complaint at face value. We know that anyone who has been bullied may feel demoralised, lacking in worth, that their views are not valued and have little confidence. If you raise the matter with us, you will be appointed a dedicated Steward or Officer who will support you through any processes and who will be on your side.
Bullying can take many forms, but with many members working remotely at home cyber bullying may become more of a problem. Figures are not yet available but sadly we expect to see an increase in cyber bullying during the coronavirus crisis. This will be due to the nature of the way we are working, but also perhaps as employers have their focus shifted on to other issues. Cyber bullying can be defined as any use of information and communications technology to support attempts of intimidation, threats, humiliation and harassment against another person. The bullying behaviour can come from a colleague or group of colleagues, against a manager, or by a manager to a member or members of their team. It can be against an individual or a group of staff. One of the worrying aspects of cyber bullying is that during the coronavirus lockdown it may be targeted against an individual who is already feeling isolated. It is less likely that there will be witnesses, or colleagues who can provide support. It can be a lonely place.
Examples of cyber bullying may include offensive emails, bombarding a person with more work than they can handle, being dismissive of the pressures of home working, making derogatory comments in chat groups (it is possible that a person may not immediately experience the bullying directly because they are unaware of what is being posted until later). However even though we are in lockdown, the employer still owes a duty of care to all staff, policies and procedures are still in place, legislation still exists. Bullying behaviour is still unacceptable. If a member is accused of bullying, we will also provide support and advice, a dedicated Steward will still be appointed, we are aware that facing an allegation brings its own stresses.
We are all trying to adapt to new ways of working and we know that this is not easy. We will be approaching employers to discuss what specific measures are in place to address cyber bullying. But if you are being bullied, please do not suffer in silence, get in touch. We believe you!
That’s all for today, as always we hope you are finding these updates useful and informative. Please get in touch with us regarding any of the above or indeed anything you need support with, during what continues to be a very difficult time for us all.
If you are reading this because it has been shared with you and you’re not a member, here’s the link to join up! Click here
Take care of yourselves and each other and we will be back with another update for you all tomorrow.
In solidarity!
Lois and Dave
Dave: davidnjones@wirral.gov.uk 07880199539
Lois: loisfounds1@wirral.gov.uk 07384512521
Published on: May 1, 2020