National Trust for Scotland stalls decision on job losses

Staff at National Trust for Scotland face a further wait to learn whether they are to be made redundant or not.

Philip Long, chief executive of National Trust for Scotland, said he was aware of the "human cost of this unwanted and difficult situation" as staff face a further wait to find out whether their job is safe or not.

The trust said it needed more time to finalise how many jobs will be affected with no compulsory redundancies to be made in August. The 100 per cent furlough payments for staff will continue into September.

It is understood that some staff were due to be informed on Friday if their job was safe.

Earlier, NTS said up to 400 positions would have to go given a £30m loss in income due to the impact of coronavirus.

The Scottish Government is currently considering whether to give a financial lifeline to the charity, which has made several rounds of redundancy in recent years.

Last week, Prospect union called for NTS to extend the redundancy consultation period with staff so that any government offer could be taken into account when deciding the number of jobs affected.

The National Trust for Scotland’s Chief Executive, Phil Long, tonight said it would be “prudent” to hold off any final decisions on redundancies until discussions with Scottish Enterprise, who are examinng a business case put forward by the trust, concluded.

He apologised for the delay and said he was aware of the “worry and stress” staff were under.

He said: “I’m under no illusions about the human cost of this unwanted and difficult situation and the worry and stress caused by it. I’m therefore sorry to add to that by briefly pausing confirmation of the consultation outcomes and our final decisions based on them, albeit for good reasons.

“While we have come to a view on the operational model needed if our charity is to have the best possible chance of survival and, indeed, remain viable if more Covid-19 infection spikes occur, we’re not ready to finalise the number of posts affected.

"We are continuing our discussions with Scottish Enterprise and the outcome of those may affect the final position, and it is therefore prudent to hold off until these have been concluded.”

“I have confirmed that no-one will leave the Trust’s payroll by reason of compulsory redundancy during the month of August and that we’re extending furlough leave on 100% pay into September.

“I remain committed to saving as many jobs as possible and to deliver the certainty our people are seeking as soon as I can. Once again, I want to thank them for their forbearance through this most terrible of times.”

Richard Hardy, Prospect’s national secretary for Scotland and Ireland, earlier described the NTS consultation on jobs as “shambolic”.

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