As you may be aware, Glasgow schools’ jannies who are members of the UNISON trade union have been involved in an industrial action over unfair pay practices by their employer, Cordia (an offshoot company of Glasgow City Council) for almost a year. Cordia have persistently sought to undermine these jannies throughout the process and the jannies have introduced periodic periods of strike action in order to bring pressure on their employers.
On Wednesday 22 February, the jannies – including Hyndland’s own Janny John – began a two week period of strike action.
The Parent Council, supported by many parents of children at the school with messages of goodwill, fully support Janny John and his colleagues in their action against Cordia’s unfair pay practices.
Community collection
At this week’s Parent Council meeting we agreed to hold a community collection at drop-off on Monday 27 February and Friday 3 March in the playground, to discreetly raise funds to help support Janny John in what will be a particularly difficult period for him and his family financially, as when he is striking he receives no pay.
Parent Council members and anyone else who wishes to volunteer (please email if you can help) will be walking around rattling buckets, so please do consider giving as much as you can afford. Donations can also be made in the Parent Council mailbox – in envelopes marked ‘Janny John’ please – just outside the old school office. The Afty will also have a collection box/bucket for the whole of next week for any parents who wish to contribute but who are not able to be at the school during pick-up.
Janny John is entirely unaware that we are organising this collection for him, so all money raised will be discreetly handed over to him the following week, along with any messages of support that you may wish to make.
Other Cordia and Glasgow City Council actions that you should be concerned about
As if the unfair pay practices weren’t enough, Cordia is intending to change the provision of school janitorial services right across the city, with schools losing their dedicated janny and janny ‘clusters’ being introduced in their place. This will see jannies having to work across several schools in a single day and jannies having to be booked to attend our kids’ school to deal with any issues or problems in the building or school grounds.
REMEMBER – school jannies don’t just have the function of working the boilers, gritting and cleaning the school playgrounds, etc. They are also an integral part of the health and safety and security and wellbeing of staff and our children at the school. As parents, we have developed a great, friendly and trusting relationship with Janny John, as have the staff and, most importantly, so have our children.
If we all wish for this relationship, built on familiarity and trust, to be continued, we need to make our voices heard very loudly to Cordia and Glasgow City Council.
In the coming days the Parent Council will circulate statements and petitions related to the above two overlapping issues. We will also send letters to both Cordia and Glasgow City Council, including the elected representatives who serve wards and constituents that the school services, reminding them of the Council elections on Thursday 4 May. We would urge you to use or adapt the letters, or write your own, to challenge these poor decisions by Cordia and the City Council.
Event to find out more
On Monday 6 March at 7pm, there will be a public meeting being held at the UNISON offices at 84 Bell Street in the city centre (near Trongate), where you can find out more about the above issues and to also physically show both your support for the jannies and your opposition to janny clusters. Hopefully, the media will be in attendance, as both the industrial action and Cordia’s decision to remove janitors from school full-time has been woefully covered in the news. If you can make it, please turn up.