Teachers at a Merseyside primary school will strike this Thursday, after claiming serious health and safety concerns have been ignored.
The National Education Union (NEU), which represents teaching staff who work at Kingsway Primary School, on Ashville Road in Wallasey, said teachers have not been listened to when calling for changes to protect the most vulnerable at the school.
Bora Oktas, NEU Regional Officer, said the situation has now reached a “crisis point”.
Currently, five more strike days are set to follow Thursday’s walkout. These are December 15 and 16, as well as January 12, 13 and 14.
It is understood that the school will probably have to close on all six days should the walkout go ahead.
Wirral Council said it is working closely with the governing body and the NEU in an attempt to avoid a walkout and denied that it has ignored health and safety concerns.
Staff voted to strike last month, saying they had to flush toilets themselves with buckets of water as there is no running water at the school, among many other serious health and safety issues.
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Speaking to the ECHO at the time, Peter Middleman, NEU regional secretary, said the hand washing regime for students is less sophisticated than it should be.
Mr Middleman added that there were also issues with the management of Covid-19 bubbles and infection outbreaks at the Wallasey school.
The NEU said that both the school and Wirral Council have failed to engage in any dialogue about the situation.
However, a spokesperson for Wirral Council said: “The local authority continues to work closely with the governing body at Kingsway Primary School and the Nation Education Union to resolve the issues and try to avoid strike action. Meetings are ongoing and we will provide an update as soon as we can.
“Regarding the health and safety issues raised, council officers carried out a site visit on 30 June, 2020, and identified a faulty water valve which was affecting water pressure. This was rectified.
“All toilets are flushing correctly, and the school has the required water pressure for pupils and staff to wash their hands effectively with the soap provided.
“No further concerns have been reported to the council’s Health and Safety team, but we will continue to work closely with the school to ensure the wellbeing of staff and pupils.”
Mr Oktas said: “Strike action is always the last resort for our members. However, this strike action is the direct result of the employer’s negligence.
“Our members have always been ignored when they have called for action to protect the most vulnerable staff and pupils in the school. Management has refused to look at our proposals and joint-union checklist, including proper risk assessment for pupils and staff."
The NEU regional officer added: “Our members have been working incredibly hard to keep the school open and running with little support or resources from the employer. The situation has reached a crisis point and Management cannot let this go on any longer.
“We have made every effort to work with the employer to try to resolve this dispute and we regret any disruption to pupils or parents, but members cannot stand by while safety of staff and pupils is being put at risk.”
