Union calls for more school cleaners

Public services union UNISON has called on the government to provide schools with money to hire extra cleaners, after publishing a survey saying that some cleaners in English schools are having to work without protective kit.

The survey, based on 8,000 responses, also found that:

• almost three in 10 (29%) staff say there has been no increase in cleaning services since many schools reopened at the start of June;

• instead of specialist “deep-clean” teams, regular cleaning staff are expected to carry out this work, according to nearly two thirds (65%) of school workers; and

• a fifth (20%) of respondents said cleaners at their school had no access to appropriate personal protective equipment.

UNISON said there is an urgent need for cleaners to be specially trained in how to disinfect buildings properly and handle potentially harmful cleaning materials correctly.

UNISON head of education Jon Richards said: “Cleaning a school properly is a specialist job, yet the workers doing this are often overlooked, underpaid and haven’t been trained for the extra demands.

“Given the extra cleaning needed, the government must give schools the money to employ cleaners with the necessary training and protective kit to keep the whole school safe.”

https://www.unison.org.uk/news/press-release/2020/07/cleaners-needed-make-%e2%80%8benglish-schools-safe-return-pupils-staff-says-unison