Upcoming Teachers’ Strikes

This week, on the 1st of February, teachers will be striking across all of England and Wales, with other localised strikes occurring throughout February and March. What should you do if this affects your staff?

If Employees cannot find childcare when their children are unable to attend school due to strikes, then they may wish to take time off to provide childcare themselves. Employees are entitled to take reasonable time off to deal with an unexpected disruption regarding their dependants, which includes school closures. Employees have no right to be paid for this leave, however. They can use this time off if they cannot find childcare, but you must make them aware that they will not be paid for it.

Many Employees will not know if they will be affected by strikes until the day that they occur, as strike laws state that union members do not have to notify their employers if they wish to strike.

You may also choose to allow your Employees to take a day of paid leave from their annual holiday entitlement, or allow them to choose if they would like to do this rather than use their unpaid time-off for dependants. If Employees are able to work from home whilst providing childcare then you may also offer them this option.

However you choose to deal with Employee’s request for time off, it is a good idea to ask them to keep you informed as soon as they find out any new information about the strikes.