Teachers threaten new strike at Coatbridge health fears campus

Parents and teachers have raised concerns at Buchanan and St Ambrose high schools

Teachers from a Lanarkshire school campus at the centre of contamination fears are threatening to go on strike from the first day of the new term.

The threat from the NASUWT comes ahead of the publication of an independent report into health and safety concerns.

Thirty six union members say they will not return to Buchanan and St Ambrose high schools in Coatbridge unless they are satisfied the site poses no risks.

North Lanarkshire Council has insisted there is no evidence of health risks.

As part of the review, water, soil and air samples from the former landfill site are being assessed, along with the integrity of the methane membrane which was installed as a safety measure during construction of the campus.

The two school buildings, along with Townhead Community Centre, opened in 2012 on a site that was used as landfill for industrial waste, including lead and arsenic, between 1945 and 1972.

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In March 2018, bottled water was used at the high schools after blue-tinted water was discovered coming from pipes, with tests later revealing higher than recommended levels of copper. This was blamed on corrosion, and the pipes have since been replaced.

However, fears over the safety of the site came to a head after it emerged that four former or current members of staff at Buchanan High had received treatment for cancer.

The council and health board said specialist doctors did not believe cancer - or any other serious illness - was caused by the schools or the site on which they were built.

In June, NASUWT union members took part in a week-long strike, calling for more action to be taken by the council and the Scottish government.

NASUWT members have already taken part in a strike at the school in June

Speaking on Thursday, Chris Keates, acting general secretary of the NASUWT said: "The NASUWT's experts are on standby to analyse the report once it is published.

"However, the council and the government should be in no doubt that unless the NASUWT is satisfied that the site poses no risks to health our members will not be returning to work on the first day of term.

"Our members' summer break has been blighted by the serious stress and anxiety of the concerns about the risks to their own and their colleagues' health."

She added that all of the union's members had sought, or were seeking, blood tests.

"The results already received by one member are of deep concern as they show significantly elevated levels of arsenic," she said. "That member's case is now in the hands of our solicitors who are pursuing personal injury claims against the council on behalf of a number of our members.

"The council has been notified of a period of continuous strike action from the first day of term. This will undoubtedly go ahead if the NASUWT is not satisfied with the report and the council proposes to open the schools as usual."

Ms Keates said the council and Scottish government has been "dragged kicking and screaming to take any action" which she said exacerbated the anxiety of those working at the site.

"The NASUWT will be looking for the report published tomorrow to, at the very least, lay down clear procedures for timely action when there are potential risks to health and safety in schools," she added.

If the strike goes ahead, it will take place every working day from 12 August to 6 September.

EIS union members will not be part of the threatened strike action.

A spokeswoman for North Lanarkshire Council said: "The council will await the outcome of the independent review before engaging further with parents, pupils, staff and their trade union representatives."

What is the issue at the St Ambrose and Buchanan campus?

The Townhead Road campus was built on a site used as landfill for industrial waste, including lead and arsenic, between 1945 and 1972.

Steps were taken to make the grounds safe before the campus opened in 2012, including bringing in fresh top soil.

But in March 2018, staff and students were given bottled water amid concerns about blue-tinted water coming from the taps.

Tests revealed higher than recommended levels of copper. It was blamed on corrosion and the pipes have since been replaced.

Parents and pupils joined teachers on the picket line at Buchanan High School before the summer holidays

However, safety fears came to a head earlier this year after it emerged that four former or current members of staff at Buchanan High had been treated for cancer.

North Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire said specialists did not believe cancer - or any other serious illness - was caused by the schools or the site on which they were built.

But it failed to allay the concerns of parents, pupils and staff and in June the Scottish government ordered an immediate review into health and safety at the campus.

A number of parents withdrew their children from the school and some teachers went on strike, with the NASUWT calling for the schools to close early for summer.

North Lanarkshire Council has long maintained that there is no evidence to show that the schools and the wider campus were unsafe. And in June the local authority created a leaflet to provide further information and reassurance to parents, staff and pupils

The Townhead Road campus was built on a former industrial landfill site