Scottish school and nursery staff go on strike

Parents across Scotland will be impacted by a series of school and nursery closures across nine counties, as over 13,000 teaching staff prepare to go on strike over pay rises.

Areas including Aberdeenshire, Clackmannanshire, Glasgow, and Sterling will see schools closed for three days on 6, 7, and 8 September after talks between trade unions and council body, Cosla, failed to reach an agreement on a suitable pay rise.

The industrial action will likely cause major disruption to working parents and also to their employers if suitable childcare arrangements cannot be made during this time.

Kate Palmer, Peninsula’s HR Advice and Consultancy Director offers her advice:

“Employers should start having conversations with their staff now about the arrangements that will need to be made to minimise disruption. If schools are closed and parents cannot find anyone else to look after their children then flexible working arrangements such as homeworking, or unpaid leave may have to be implemented temporarily.

“Company policies should clearly outline what rights parent employees have in such a scenario.

“If a parent is faced with unexpected childcare challenges, they can ask for unpaid time off to take care of dependents. This is usually reserved for emergencies, in which sudden school closures would be considered, as they have disrupted normal childcare arrangements.

“They should, however, inform their employer as soon as possible and give reasonable notice, which is generally taken as two or three days.

“Disruption to normal childcare routines does not necessarily mean that a parent cannot work, and as many companies have discovered in the last two years, working from home could also be a viable option.”