School cleaners left out of NSW rapid antigen testing scheme

A massive RAT program is supposed to prevent the NSW school term from becoming a Covid catastrophe, but there is one group being left out.

Cleaners working in NSW schools have been excluded from the rapid antigen testing scheme made available to teachers and to students.

NCA NewsWire has seen an email from a government bureaucrat to the United Workers Union confirming cleaners will not be required to get tested.

The email also reveals cleaners, unlike teachers, won’t get free Covid-19 RATs from the government.

Asked directly if cleaners would get free tests, the Public Works Advisory official wrote: “The various employers of cleaners are exploring RAT test options and may implement their own processes in future as needed or required.

“More details about specific processes will be available from the employers directly,” the email continued.

UWU property services director Lyndal Ryan said leaving out cleaners was “disrespectful”.

NSW students returned to classrooms this week. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Nikki Short

“They’ve been on the frontline of this pandemic, keeping schools open so other frontline workers can continue to do their essential jobs,” she said.

A northern NSW school cleaner questioned why the RAT scheme wouldn’t extend to her and her colleagues when they were subject to vaccination mandates.

“We stepped up at the beginning of Covid for additional cleaning to keep our schools safe,” Judith Barber said.

“As essential workers, we were required to be vaccinated to keep working in schools, but now we’re not seen to be important enough to be included in the rollout of RATs in schools.”

The NSW education department said on Friday every school in the state had received RATs for students and staff.

But cleaners aren’t counted as staff for the purposes of the RAT rollout.

The NSW Premier, Health Minister and Education Minister visited Ultimo Public School on Tuesday to mark the return to classrooms. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

That’s because unlike some other jurisdictions, such as Queensland and the ACT, NSW doesn't directly employ school cleaners.

Instead, cleaners in the state are employed by contractors.

The UWU said it had seen correspondence from cleaning contractors that indicated the companies wouldn't supply free rapid tests to their employees, either.

“School communities cannot afford to lose their school cleaner as they go to get PCR tests – waiting in long queues of several hours and then waiting on the return of results,” Ms Ryan said.

The NSW government has procured 8.2 million RAT kits for more than 3000 public and private schools.

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said the return to schools had so far been “very smooth sailing”. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Dylan Coker

Education Minister Sarah Mitchell said there were a “few extra kits” available to cleaners at the discretion of school principals who were in charge of managing supplies.

“We’ve given it to the principals to manage in terms of their staff,” Ms Mitchell told 2GB.

“In terms of cleaners, I think it depends on their contract arrangements and things. A lot of that is managed by the principals.

“There is a few extras that we’ve given them that they can use in terms of that.”

Ms Mitchell said the issue of cleaners receiving RATs had not previously been raised with her and that the focus had been on teaching staff and those employed by the Department of Education.

The education minister said RATs would be managed by school principals and given to cleaners at their discretion. Picture: Supplied

Overall, Ms Mitchell described the return to school as “very smooth sailing”.

“My instinct has always been ‘we need to do everything we can to have schools open, to have as many children in the classroom each and every day’,” she said.

“But we have to work closely with NSW Health and make sure we have all the protocols and things we need in place.”

Schools will not be closed when a positive case is detected, however, parents will be made aware, according to Ms Mitchell.

“I feel really confident that we have all of the right measures in place and our schools are implementing them and implementing them very well,” she said.

The testing scheme will be reviewed in coming weeks, taking into account staff and parent feedback.