From this Monday, January 24 and until the February holidays, the parents of Bordeaux schoolchildren will have to prepare two cold meals a week for their brats. In question the fifth wave of Covid-19 which does not spare the agents who provide service in the canteens of the 113 Bordeaux schools. “We have a very high rate of absenteeism among municipal staff and we are no longer able today to provide catering with the level of supervision normally necessary”, explains Sylvie Schmitt, education assistant. Of the 892 municipal agents, 182 are absent, representing an absenteeism rate of more than 20%.
Difficulties in recruiting agents
“During the meridian break, we will continue to provide reception in good safety and sanitary conditions but we do not have enough supervision for hot meals”, specifies the assistant. Parents of kindergarten pupils are therefore temporarily asked to provide a picnic on Mondays and Thursdays and parents of primary pupils on Tuesdays and Fridays, if they cannot have their children eat at home. “It may be complicated for families to understand, but we need solidarity right now,” points out Sylvie Schmitt.
For the past two years, she has stressed that the teams have been put to the test since the application of successive health protocols has increased their daily tasks, in particular cleaning. Measures have already been taken to relieve understaffed agents: “We have already served meals on paper plates to lighten the dishwashing for example, underlines the assistant. But with 182 absent, we can no longer follow. »
A pool of substitutes exists but it is insufficient given the number of isolated people. And, 35 recruitments were launched in December, but the attractiveness of these personal service professions also poses a problem. “There is an important work of the agents in the field, alongside the teachers, in particular for the maintenance of the health protocol. Without them, the school could not function”, concludes Sylvie Schmitt. The city reported to the State services its staffing problem, shared by other communities. She hopes that this formula of picnics will make it possible to hold out until the February holidays, without throwing a chill among the parents of students.