[WATCH] Union wants vulnerable teachers to stay home, registers industrial dispute

Union of Professional Educators (UPE) will be issuing an industrial dispute in the coming hours, over the treatment of vulnerable educators.

UPE CEO Graham Sansone was addressing a press conference on the unions' reaction to guidelines published on Wednesday regarding reopening of schools in a post-COVID reality. 

“The UPE is disappointed with the lack of empathy the ministry and government have been showing vulnerable educators. It was clearly stated to the UPE that all vulnerable educators are to return to work in person, leaving no alternative for remote working. 

For this reason, the UPE will be issuing an industrial dispute in the coming hours, to safeguard its vulnerable members.” He added that the vulnerable included ex cancer patients, as well as those suffering from diabetes, among other conditions. 

Sansone said that online schooling must be an option for vulnerable educators. He said that no matter what system is used; children may inevitably be left behind. The health of the vulnerable should be a top priority.  

The government's primary tactic to tackle schools reopening is to enforce the use of masks, social bubbles, keeping desks 1.5m apart and appealing for parents to keep children home if sick. 

READ MORE: Schools in the COVID-19 era: Masks, bubbles, desks 1.5m apart and no school if sick

Sansone highlighted that the 1.5m distance that Superintendent for Public Health Charmaine Gauci announced yesterday was “unrealistic” due to the physical structure of the classrooms because it does not allow for adequate social distancing to take place. 

He said the union was “utterly perplexed” at how bars and restaurants as well as wedding reception venues have stringent social distancing protocols whereas with minors and accompanying adults at schools the recommendations are too lax. 

Sansone noted that since social distancing needs to be safeguarded, to do this seating capacity on school transport needs to be reduced by 50%. 

Therefore, there will need to be a drastic increase in school transport, if the number of vehicles required is even available on the island. 

He noted that the measures put into place to reduce traffic on roads will be automatically nullified since parents will start accompanying their children to school instead of using the free service.

He also said that the timeframe required to get to and from destinations make it impossible for the driver to adequately sanitize the vehicle between trips as required by the guidelines. 

He also pointed out that the driver couldn't supervise the wearing of masks while in transit. 

Sansone also pointed out that when arriving at school, students will be congregating within open spaces and therefore the bubble cannot be maintained. 

He said that the number of supervisors would need to increase drastically to ensure masks are kept on. 

In classrooms, Sansone said that for social bubbles to be maintained, there would need to be a drastic change in the work conditions for all educators.

Therefore, he said that the union understands that no replacement can take place, leaving classrooms without adequate supervisions or teaching.

“One-on-one children whose LSEs will not be present due to unforeseen circumstances will automatically be required to return home, thus missing out on their education,” he said. 

Sansone highlighted that the content of the document published yesterday was not revealed to the union until it was published, and that at no point has the UPE agreed to reopen schools to the detriment of vulnerable educators or children.  

Sansone said that during the first read it becomes obvious that there were significant discrepancies between that which is in the guidelines and that which was said during the press conference.

He said the union intended to ensure that clarification was provided regarding the discrepancies.

“The union is hoping that during the coming weeks common sense prevails since the mentioned guidelines are unrealistic within a school context. The UPE does not exclude that further industrial dispute will be issued in coming days,” he said.