Teaching staff on Barra who are members of the EIS union, have voted to take action over their Castlebay In-Service dispute.
The Consultative Ballot closed on Friday 24July – 24 members were eligible to vote and the turnout was 71%.
The first question was: "Are you willing to take industrial action consisting of Action Short of Strike (ASOS) action in pursuit of the EIS Castlebay Community
School Branch ‘In-Service Day Travel’ dispute? The total saying Yes was 94%; No - 6%
The second question was: "Are you willing to take industrial action consisting of Strike Action in pursuit of the EIS Castlebay Community School Branch ‘In-Service Day Travel’ dispute? The total saying Yes was 88%; No - 12 %.
The EIS says that over a number of years now, the employer – Comhairle nan Eilean Siar – has repeatedly refused the request that alternative arrangements be made for the delivery of the August Centre based in-service training in Uist to make it more accessible to teaching staff in Barra.
As this training is compulsory, teaching staff are obliged to travel. This means that the Barra and Vatersay staff are the only teaching staff that are required to take a ferry to attend such training.
To do this, they have to arrive at Ardmhor ferry terminal no later than 06.40am for check in. This causes particular hardship for staff with caring responsibilities, especially those whose partners work off island, or in jobs such as fishing. It is difficult (if not impossible) to find child care so early in the morning, and not everyone has the support of family or friends locally. The requirement to travel also means that the working day is significantly longer than the standard school day.
The insistence on attendance at Centre based in-service has meant that staff have been required to travel during periods of bad weather and while ferries have been cancelled or put on notice of possible cancellation. Also, given the nature of the Calmac fleet in recent years, there is a likelihood of mechanical breakdown. This was the case on the Sound of Harris on the day of the Uist & Barra inservice 2024, which resulted in CnES staff and guest speakers being delayed overnight in Uist.
During the COVID years inservice training was provided online. The technology exists to allow for this, and therefore it should be considered as an alternative to travel for those who find it difficult.
Alternatively, the schedule for the day could be altered to allow travel on a later ferry, which would make it easier for those with caring responsibilities to attend in person, says the EIS.
