At last, the voices of reason

This is  a press release I received today.  I was thrilled to receive it because in all the madness of the anger, revenge and striking, some agencies decided to think about the people that are being affected most.  So without further a do – Primary Management Bodies call on Unions and Government to avoid disrupting children’s education

Primary school management bodies call on government and unions to enter discussions to prevent industrial action that will disrupt the education of children.

There are three proposed days of strike action, the first of which is to take place tomorrow 24th November. Losing three full day’s education at a time when the service is already suffering from increased class sizes, removal of learning support roles and a moratorium on the creation and/or replacement of middle management posts is a significant impact on a child’s education.

The proposed day/s of action will place great pressure on parents and guardians, an increasing number of whom are themselves struggling to maintain their own employment.

The children in primary schools are not responsible for current government policy nor should they be caught up in industrial action.

The Boards of Management of primary schools comprising of up to 21,000 volunteers and the statutory employers of all staff, have no power over matters of pay or pensions.

It is still not too late to avert these days of action and we call on the Minister for Education and Science and Unions to immediately enter talks and to provide responsible leadership at this time.