Camden UNISON has successfully persuaded management to suspend the threat of dismissal notices to dozens of workers at Swiss Cottage school which were due to be issued in August.
The notices were due to be issued to all staff who had not yet presented valid level 2-equivalent qualifications in English and maths, following the introduction of a new management policy that all staff must now possess these qualifications.
Camden UNISON had already won agreement from management to pay £1500 to staff who gain the qualifications.
Following Camden UNISON’s intervention, management agreed to postpone the dismissal notices and have now given staff until December to get the required qualifications.
However, we continue to disagree with management’s proposals, as while we are in favour of having workers get qualifications, we do not believe the qualifications requirements are necessary for every staff member due to the different nature of some roles, and furthermore some staff have been unable to attend training in their own time to get the qualifications due to caring responsibilities or health issues.
So we continue to work with management to try to find a mutually agreeable resolution to the issue.
Meanwhile we would urge all workers at Swiss Cottage school to join UNISON today, as well as at other schools across the borough as more schools will be introducing similar policies in the coming months and years.