A TEACHING union says it has secured £295,597 for members who were injured or assaulted at their workplace.
The Educational Institute of Scotland (EIS) said all teachers and lecturers deserve to work in a safe place, and employers must ensure all possible steps are taken to keep a safe working environment.
It said the settlements show that “the employer has failed in their duty of care” to their employees.
EIS general secretary Andrea Bradley said: “While the EIS will always be diligent in pursuing appropriate compensation for our members, our clear preference would be for this area of our work to be unnecessary. If workplaces are properly maintained and safe, the chances of any employee suffering injury are substantially reduced.
READ MORE: Delaying Scotland's free school meals policy is shameful
“All employers must treat the health and safety of their employees as a priority, so that injuries to employees – and costly financial settlements – can be avoided. It is in everyone’s best interests for our schools, colleges and universities to be safe places to work and to study.”
While some of the more serious cases involve assaults on teaching staff, the compensation settlements reveal that the most frequent cause of injury continues to be accidents caused by slips and trips. Such accidents are avoidable if employers implement basic, inexpensive safety requirements, the union said.
The EIS managed to secure £149,500 in accident claims for seven members, with one member tripping on a boulder and suffering an elbow fracture and another slipping on black ice and breaking their ankle in two places.
Two members were assaulted by pupils, causing serious injuries, with one member being compensated with £130,000 after being struck on the head by a stone thrown by a pupil and suffering a brain bleed. They were absent from work for nine months. A second member was awarded £10,597 after a pupil attacked them and caused injuries to their head and knee.
Bradley said: “The settlements the EIS has secured for its members are to compensate them for the impact of their injury, including pain and suffering, loss of earnings and future losses. No-one wants to be in a position where they are claiming compensation of this type but where our members are injured through no fault of their own, it is right that appropriate settlements are pursued and achieved.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here