by Matt Trinder
Industrial Reporter

ALL parents affected by school closures should be furloughed by their employers, the TUC said today.

Working parents have been left in real difficulties, the union body said, after the government announced that some schools would not reopen to all children as planned from this week due to rising Covid-19 infection rates. It was expected to extend this to all schools last night.

The job-retention scheme allows bosses to furlough parents who cannot work due to a lack of childcare.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “The health and safety of school staff, children and parents and the wider community must come first.

“With many schools closed, many families will be frantically trying to find a way to balance their work and childcare commitments.

“Without further action, many will have no choice but to cut their hours or take unpaid leave from work. This will lead to further hardship and will hit mums and single parents hardest.

“Employers must do the right thing and furlough mums and dads who can’t work because of childcare responsibilities.”

The TUC also maintains that self-employed working parents should have automatic access to the self-employed income-support scheme (SEISS) to help these families avoid financial difficulty and debt.

All primary schools in London will now remain closed until January 18, with students elsewhere seeing a staggered return to schools over the next few weeks with those in exams years prioritised.

Education unions are calling for schools and colleges to switch to remote learning for all but the most vulnerable students, but Prime Minister Boris Johnson insisted today that they were “safe.”