"Start putting public welfare first..." Salford City UNISON
Salford has seen five new confirmed cases of coronavirus, taking the total for the city to 947, up from 942 the previous day.
Elsewhere in Greater Manchester, the number of cases in Manchester now total 1,620 (up from 1,612), followed by Wigan with 1,217 (up from 1,213), Stockport 1,056 (up from 1,054), Oldham 1,097 (up from 1,095), Bolton 1,034 (up from 1,032), Trafford 841 (up from 837), Rochdale 825 (up from 822), Bury 778 (up from 774) and Tameside 762 (up from 761).
Salford Royal Hospital has announced a further two sad virus-related deaths.
Meanwhile, trade unions, UNISON and National Education Union (NEU), have urged Salford City Mayor, Paul Dennett and Salford Council to U-turn in their efforts to open schools more widely, given the North West 'R' rate which is over 1 and the highest in the country (see previous Salford Star article for details click here)
The unions also argue that the number of reported hospital admissions for coronavirus in Greater Manchester is now higher than at any point since late April, having risen for the second week in a row.
Bury and Tameside councils have already advised schools that it is not safe to expand provision beyond vulnerable and key worker children, but Salford is pressing ahead with further opening. The Council is apparently saying that Salford's 'R' rate is at the lower end of the regional rate but no evidence has been shown to prove this, and no local council area figures have yet been made public anywhere in the country.
"We're disappointed that school leaders in Salford have been left to interpret very poor government advice on the wider reopening of schools which itself has changed 41 times since its publication without the benefit of the co-ordinated support that only a local authority can provide" says Peter Middleman, North West Regional Secretary of the NEU "Despite a handful of councils in the region appearing to promote an early economic recovery above the health, safety and welfare of children, only 8% of the region's schools met the Prime Minister's preferred model for re-opening last week.
"The outliers, including Salford, will need to explain why so many of their schools have extended provision in circumstances where the region has the highest infection in England" he adds "The 'R' number is now back above 1.0 and an effective test, trace and isolate still seems so far away."
Steve North, Branch Secretary of Salford City UNISON, underlines the sentiments... "We are shocked and disappointed by the approach taken by Salford City Council" he says "Its position has shifted from initial support for the education unions' five tests for safely extending school opening, to a position that we were told was determined at a Great Manchester level of supporting schools to decide, to a position now where the Council is actively encouraging wider school opening.
"The regional R rate is above 1, Salford has the highest rate of deaths in Greater Manchester and numerous urgent questions remain unanswered" he adds "We have held multiple meetings with our members, an online public rally supported by Rebecca Long Bailey MP and we initiated a petition with hundreds of signatures collected in a matter of days. The Council and the City Mayor need to urgently change direction and start putting public welfare first. We have seen Tameside do it in the last couple of days. It isn't too late."
Both unions are supporting a Don't Go Back To School Until It's Safe public zoom meeting for parents and carers on Tuesday 8th June 7pm for details see the Facebook event page click here.
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