Series of Strikes Looming in Scotland’s Leisure Trusts?

UNISON members transferred from local authority employment to so called ‘arms length vehicles’ across the West of Scotland are moving toward industrial action in a series of disputes over pay and cuts.

In Glasgow, Culture and Sport Glasgow, the agency that has taken over the local authority leisure facilities including museums and concert halls face a strike threat over a pay freeze that is exacerbated by management errors in the implementation of a workforce pay and benefits review.

Some low paid workers on salaries of £15-16000 per year stand to lose up to £1500. Four unions are involved in the dispute-UNISON, Unite Bectu and the GMB, and are now discussing a joint strategy including a threat of industrial action that would inevitably include the city’s tourist attractions.

Culture and Sport is an arms length organisation whose directors include an ex chair of HBoS and an ex vice chair of RBS (as well as a variety of councillors who cannot be identified from a council website last updated in 2008.)

The Board reported during the autumn on its need for further savings to meet budget pressures from utility costs and pension contributions. Measures adopted include reducing public access to facilities through hours’ reduction or closure.

Meanwhile leisure centre staff of Renfrewshire Leisure ltd are being threatened with dismissal unless they sign-up to a range of detrimental working conditions Renfrewshire Leisure is again a trust who run ex-council leisure centres. UNISON negotiators say they have been told that the company will cease negotiating immediately and issue staff with an ultimatum -sign up to new conditions or face the sack.

UNISON have been negotiating with Renfrewshire Leisure Ltd to try and reach agreement on new working conditions, as part of an attempt to end discriminatory pay by the company. The union has told the company that legal advice they have received makes it clear that the company proposals continue unequal pay systems and are discriminatory. In addition the company wishes to cut back on overtime rates and reduce the number of fixed public holidays.

Mark Ferguson, UNISON Renfrewshire Branch Secretary said "I am disappointed that Renfrewshire Leisure are choosing to ignore the sound legal advice UNISON has received, and want to walk away from negotiation, preferring instead to try to bully their staff into accepting a detrimental and discriminatory package of changes. This has left our members with no option but to consider Industrial action, a decision that is not taken lightly."

"Renfrewshire Leisure have recently contracted a private personnel firm to give them advice, a service which was previously provided by Renfrewshire Council. This and the attempts to bully staff suggests a further attempt is being made to move away from the original concept of a charitable trust and operate public services as a private business.

"UNISON has found that this is commonly what happens when public services are hived off to charitable trusts."