Cleaning of East Renfrewshire schools put on hold

The staff, who have been working on a rota to clean schools still in use by children in key groups, were told they would be back in full-time work from Monday (May 18), the GMB says.

Sean Baillie, from the union, said members had questioned whether cleaning closed schools could be classed as essential work.

He said employees would have needed to travel by public transport, increasing the risk to their health, as car sharing isn’t an option during the health crisis.

“We felt it was unnecessary and non-essential,” Mr Baillie said, adding workers were relieved when the work was postponed.

In a letter to the council, the union asked for the cleaning of closed schools to not go ahead until the Scottish Government gives a date for reopening.

East Renfrewshire Council said safe working practices, such as social distancing, are already in place for cleaners in hub schools, which were set up for the children of key workers, and would be used for all schools.

A spokesman for the authority said: “As part of the council’s plans to prepare for a wide range of potential scenarios for our schools, measures were being put in place to ensure all buildings were cleaned to the necessary standards.

“Risk assessments and safe working practices, adhering to social distancing, are in place for all cleaning staff currently working in our hub schools which are open. Similar practices will be required when cleaning schools which are currently closed.

“Risk assessments for this have been shared with trade union colleagues, to ensure we are prepared in advance of staff returning to clean currently empty schools.

“We await further updates from the Scottish Government about future education provision and have at all times adhered to the national guidelines in place relating to returning to workplaces.”