The Leadership of Dumfries and Galloway Council have been accused of being “posted missing” by the Leader of the Labour Group on Dumfries and Galloway Council Archie Dryburgh, after widespread criticism over the council’s handling of the current school industrial action.

Following a meeting with the Council’s Chief Executive earlier this week, the Labour Group have now received a commitment that an urgent item will be added to next week’s meeting of the full council on the local authority’s response to the school closures. The Group also want a report on serious concerns that employee details of staff members of trade unions had been leaked by the council.

Last week the council informed many parents that a number of schools and Early Learning Centres (ELCs) would remain open- only to then inform staff and parents the day before the three-day strike action that all schools and ELCs would shut. The short notice made it impossible for many parents to get childcare.

The council have also been criticised for failing to make their own staff aware that in exceptional circumstances where they had not been able to secure childcare, they could work for home. An e mail was eventually sent to staff this morning by the council- the second day of the strike action and AFTER most will have already been due to report for work.

There was also widespread confusion in local schools after all teachers were initially told they must report to their empty school despite having no pupils to teach in person or face cuts in pay and possible disciplinary action, even if they could not get childcare for their own children.

This was despite the fact that it is a clear breach of national agreements for the council to fail to consider requests from teachers in such circumstances to work from home when there were no pupils to teach in person. Some head teachers allowed teachers to bring their children into school while others refused.

Labour has also called for an investigation into concerns raised by school staff that confidential employee details of union members were circulated around schools in an apparent breach of data protection regulations and have called for a separate urgent report on the matter to come to the next meeting of the council.

Labour Group Leader Archie Dryburgh said, “The treatment of parents and staff has been a mess by the council from start to finish. It has taken the Labour Group to raise concerns and secure action such as staff with no childcare eventually being allowed to work from home . We have also secured urgent reports to the next meeting of the council.

“The Tory administration Leadership of the Council have been posted missing. They should have been on top of this from the start. While Labour councillors were kept in the dark and even refused details of the schools initially planned for closure, the Leader, Deputy Leader and Chair and Vice Chair of the Education Committee were all fully briefed, and they should have asked far more questions about the plans which have falling apart.

“There has also been complete confusion for staff such as teachers, with different policies in different schools and serious allegations of breaches of data protection by the council over the apparent distribution of personal employee data around schools. It’s just not good enough.

“The Labour Group will be demanding a full review of all the procedures used so this never happens again and a full and unreserved public apology to parents and staff from the Leader of the Council”.

Meanwhile South Scotland MSP has urged parents and teachers to make formal complaints to the council, accusing the local authority of failing to respond to concerns quick enough.

The local MSP wrote to the Chief Executive following the late decision to close schools but hasn’t received a reply and has accused the council of being far too slow in taking action to mitigate the impact of the strikes such as allowing staff with no childcare to work from home.

Colin Smyth said, “It is bad enough that Dumfries and Galloway council were later than any other local authority in the country in deciding to close schools and tell parents and staff, but they have also been far too slow in putting in place mitigation such as clear guidance for their own staff working from home.

“Not only has the council failed in their duty of care for their own staff, it raises profound child protection concerns when staff fear having their pay cut and disciplinary action because they can’t get to work due to having no childcare.

“I would urge the public and staff to make formal complaints to the council. Parents and staff deserve an apology but more importantly we need to know how the council got their so many decisions so badly wrong and how we will avoid this shambles in the future.”