BlindCraft staff set to accept three-day working week

TRADE union leaders at the under-threat BlindCraft factory say they are now hopeful that staff will agree to work a three-day week to secure its short-term survival, but say more needs to be done to win business to guarantee its longer-term future.

Many of the 53 employees at Craigmillar-based bed maker BlindCraft had not been willing to accept the new terms of their move to three-day working because of concerns that it would mean they would be entitled to a 40 per cent lower redundancy rate.

However, the city council has now made workers an offer to protect the redundancy entitlement at the level they would receive for a full working week.

Staff at the 216-year-old institution are now expected to accept the proposals at a vote taking place next week.

That would mean the factory's doors would remain open, but there have been calls for the council to do more to secure its longer-term survival.

Fraser Queen, branch secretary of the Community trade union, said: "There have been changes made and we feel it is more palatable to put to our members. We are now hopeful that they will accept.

"The trade union has managed to secure a short-term fix and it is now up to the council to invest effort in terms of getting business to ensure the long-term future."

Under European Union procurement laws, public bodies can use "article 19" to reserve some public contracts for supported business. Mr Queen has called on the council to use the legislation to attempt to win new business from organisations such as the NHS and other councils, as well as to invest more time in promoting the company.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, health spokeswoman for the Labour group on the council, said: "The (council] administration needs to say we want BlindCraft to survive and what can we do to ensure its survival. I have not heard of anything being done to help it win new business since Christmas. There does not seem to have been any motivation to promote BlindCraft and to save it."

BlindCraft was earmarked for closure to save 700,000 last November and was only saved when the trade union proposed that staff would move to a three-day week until the workshop's long-term future could be secured.

Workers were due to vote on the change this week but the new council offer means the vote has been postponed until Wednesday.

Responsibility for the factory is also to be moved to the council's economic development department, from health, in order to try to use its staff's contacts to secure new business.

Deputy council leader Steve Cardownie said: "Business is continuing at the factory. A number of new domestic and contract orders have been received and several large tenders have been submitted for substantial contracts, of which we are waiting to hear the results. In addition, representatives of several potential contract clients are due to visit to inspect products over the coming months."