Education International partners with TEWU to promote well-being and safety of union members

The TUC Teachers and Education Workers Union (TEWU), in partnership with Education International (EI), has taken action to improve the welfare and safety of union members through the country.

According to the union, it has put in place an initiative to provide ongoing updates on the impact of Covid-19 on education support staff.

Partners presented personal protective equipment (PPE) to members to contain the Covid-19 pandemic in schools.

In total, around 10,500 personalized hand sanitizers and 125,000 disposable masks will be distributed across the country, especially among its vulnerable members such as cooks, security personnel, janitors, men and women of the guard. eat, the gardeners, numbering about 10,000.

TEWU General Secretary Mark Dankyira Korankye announced in Accra during the launch of the EI-TEWU Covid-19 initiative to serve as a complementary strategy to the government’s fight and mitigate the impact of Covid -19 in the school environment.

Mr Korankye said the initiative was timely and responsive given the increase in Covid-19 cases in high schools as a result of the new delta variant.

He said the move, which benefited 25% of the total 40,000 members, was the first phase of the initiative and hoped to serve everyone in subsequent deployments.

Mr Korankye said the government shutdown of schools was key to containing the spread of the virus early in the outbreak period of the pandemic.

He observed that the virus had affected effective teaching and learning, claiming that virtual learning adopted by most schools was not user-friendly for most students, coupled with poor internet connectivity, especially in disadvantaged areas.

Overall, the Covid-19 has strongly affected the world of work.

The International Labor Organization’s report on the impact of Covid-19 on the world of work revealed that around 255 million, or 8.8% of people working full-time equivalent, lost their jobs in 2020.

The impact of Covid-19 has not only affected the economic borders of countries but also the social space, including education.

The secretary general urged the government to involve teachers’ unions in consultation meetings with a view to proposing measures to ensure that teaching and learning is not disrupted too much.

He said most higher education institutions have used the team system where some students at different levels are in schools while others stay at home.

Mr Korankye said evidence gathered on the impact of Covid-19 on education support staff members of TEWU members revealed that some members of private schools have suffered job losses due to ” a reduction in pay while those working in the public sector suffered no job loss.

“TEWU’s support to our members is not limited to negotiations over salaries and terms of service, but also to the general well-being of our members, including their safety and health,” he said.

He congratulated the government on acquiring vaccines for the population and called for the deployment of vaccination to be done in an equitable manner, keeping vulnerable people in mind.

Finance Officer Yussif Abubakari pledged the organization’s continued support to work with partners to undertake such initiatives to contain the virus in schools.

He encouraged everyone to adhere to the safety protocols outlined by the government to mitigate the effects of the pandemic.