Aberdeen City Council has been accused of acting like Scrooge after ordering school staff to work an extra day before Christmas unpaid.
Trade union GMB Scotland made the claim, as the council were forced to add an extra day to the school calendar after education bosses missed the Good Friday public holiday, meaning a shortfall in the 190 teaching days that is required annually.
The union, which represents school support staff, including cleaners, janitors, caterers and pupil support assistants, has urged council chiefs to reverse the decision to make them work on Friday, December 22.
This was meant to be the first day of the 2023-24 Christmas holidays, which will see schools reopen on January 8.
GMB Scotland suggested changing the number of in-service days from five to four in 2024 in order to protect the number of teaching days and allow the Christmas break to start as originally planned, but instead support staff have been told to work.
The union’s organiser in Aberdeen, Sean Robertson, said legal advice suggests this is an extra day of work for support staff and warned grievance procedures will be triggered if the council does not pay them for it.
He said: “Our members are some of the most committed but lowest paid school workers and deserve far better than this.
‘Beyond the pale’
“Instead of beginning their Christmas break and spending some well-earned time with their family, they have been told to work because of a mistake made by their bosses.
“To do this at any time would be unfair but, at Christmas, it is beyond the pale.”
An Aberdeen City Council spokeswoman added: “An error was previously made in the holiday calculation for session 23/24 resulting in staff not being allocated Good Friday (March 29, 2024).
“Good Friday is a mandatory public holiday for council staff. In order to ensure all staff receive Good Friday as a public holiday, there was a need to remove one of the days currently allocated as a school closure day so that the day could be reallocated to Good Friday.
Change made ‘in compliance’ with affected staff members
“This was to ensure the education authority provided 190 days of education in the 23/24 academic session which is a legal requirement. Staff were surveyed on three options. The preferred option of staff was for schools to close one day later for Christmas break on December 22. This option was approved by the education and children service’s committee on November 21.
“Schools will be open up until Friday December 22, however staff are now on holiday on Good Friday. Pupils will receive the required number of school days for 23/24 academic year.
“The change made is in compliance with the contracts of the affected members of staff.”
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