School kitchens close to breaking point says union

School meals staff are under intolerable pressure because of the switch to healthier dinners says their trade union.
The change from convenience to fresh foods means a sharp increase in workload and skills needed by staff, says Unison. These include extra cooking, cleaning and stock control duties. But the changes have not been matched by more pay, training or staffing hours.
A survey of school meals staff found nine out of ten said work pressures had increased since they were expected to cook meals from scratch. Barely one in twenty said extra staff had been taken on, and nearly half had no extra training.
School meals staff are also worked that the school kitchen has become more dangerous with people moving around and working under intense pressure. There is more cleaning needed, and if it is not done properly the health of children who eat the lunches could be at risk.
Unison's head of education Christina McAnea said the union was shocked by the outpouring of anger that came back in the survey. "Many are forced to work unpaid overtime just to get the meals ready."
Unison is recommending immediate risk assessments of school kitchens, and a review of cleaning standards and staffing levels.
It also wants more training for staff, and is calling on the Training and Development Agency (TDA) to develop a course for school kitchen managers.
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