Strike To Cause Primary School Closures?

Jersey primary schools may have to close next Friday because of planned strike action.

Many key workers and teaching assistants form part of the Unite and JCSA Prospect unions, that will protest against the pay offers imposed by the States Employment Board.

"Every headteacher will have to make an individual risk assessment. The problem that will face the heads is that if they have children with records of need, who need a key worker with them or a teaching assistant one to one and those people are striking, it might be deemed to be unsafe to have the school open."

The civil service union voted to strike after an AGM last Wednesday.

It will take place for two hours between 9am and 11am on Friday 7th December.

Teaching unions the NASUWT and National Education Union have also slammed the decision to impose the pay offer. They are both in talks about balloting members on possible industrial action before Christmas.

"I think the States need to wake up and realise that now there at a crisis point.

"When you have the entire public sector willing to take action, it's a very frightening place for the States to be.

"Public servants are here to serve the public, that's why we do what we do. It's a shocking state of affairs really."

In response to the threat of school closures and strike action, a States spokesperson says:

"All departments have comprehensive contingency plans in place and we will be doing everything we can to ensure we provide the best possible service during any industrial action.

"It is too early to tell how individual schools will be affected by the two-hour strike action planned for Friday 7 December."