Marina Mauger, regional representative for the teaching union NASUWT, has voiced concerns that employing outside companies at schools could put children at risk.
She cited a recent case where a gardener, who was not employed by the States, was placed on the Sex Offenders Register for five years after exposing himself to a security guard at the old Jersey College for Girls site.
Last week TTS confirmed that it plans to shed 61 full-time posts, including gardeners on contracts with the Education Department, as part of plans to make savings of £70 million within the wider public sector.
Mrs Mauger has now said that ending the gardening contracts will put an ‘enormous risk on our school children’ and that assurances must be sought that anyone working within the Island’s schools are subject to the same vetting procedure that is currently in place for States staff.
She said: ‘NASUWT has grave concerns about the decision of the Transport Department to end the contracts of gardeners to educational facilities.
‘Teachers have always taken comfort in the fact that States employees who have a presence at educational establishments are thoroughly vetted and subjected to complete police disclosure procedures.
‘To end these contracts and offer them to other companies places an enormous risk on our school children.
She added: ‘Given the recent publicity regarding the behaviour of a non-States employed gardener this must be an absolute priority. Any incident would be catastrophic and we would certainly call to account those responsible for allowing, or indeed facilitating through outsourcing, such an incident.’
Earlier this year the Jersey Unions Council held a public rally to oppose cuts proposed in the Medium Term Financial Plan. Those cuts were approved after a States debate last month.
Mrs Mauger said that if a knock-on effect of the decision is that children are put at potential risk then strike action will be almost inevitable.
She added: ‘The public of Jersey need to be aware that this is yet another impact of the ill-thought-out MTFP.
‘Chief officers, mainly against their own wills and judgement, are having to make cuts to any and every area.
‘The public need to ask our politicians: Have we now become so desperate that we will place our children at risk? Pay might not make teachers strike but attacking the safeguarding of young people most certainly will, I am sure.’
