Trade union PEO expressed concern on Monday over the non implementation of an agreement in principle with the education ministry concerning the upgrade of salaries for escorts of children with disabilities.

According to the agreement, all escorts would see their wages upgraded to the next salary scale in September, however this has been pending for the past five months.

PEO said the move would be the first step in acknowledging the “crucial role” of escorts for children with disabilities, adding that so far the ministries of education and finance have done very little to address the issue.

The union said there were other pending issues, such as the reduced working schedule, ten-month employment, delays in paying unemployment benefits, the absence of income during the summer months and the lack of training for escorts.

It called on the government to make sure that the escorts for children with disabilities received their pay rise with the start of the new school year and that it entered a dialogue over the remaining issues.

Failure to do so, the union said, would constitute a blow to the credibility of the government and would cause “great distress and labour unrest within the public schools”.