Staff suspended
TRADESMEN and other manual workers were expected to pass a vote of no confidence in their management at the Scottish Borders Housing Association at a mass meeting in Selkirk last night.
It follows the suspension of two employees - one of whom lives in the town.
"The feedback from our members is this is the straw that broke the camel's back," said Tony Trench, regional industrial organiser of the union Unite, yesterday.
Around 60 employees, all members of the union and representing about two thirds of SBHA's maintenance division, were due to attend the meeting in the yard of the association's Whinfield Road headquarters at 4.45pm. "I cannot pre-judge what may happen at this meeting," said Mr Trench. "However, I can confirm members have demanded I attend following the suspension of two members of staff and other matters of great concern to them.
"They want a vote of no confidence in the management."
The men who have been suspended are a planner, who writes tickets for repair and maintenance jobs and lives in Selkirk, and an electrician from Galashiels whose son, who suffers from health problems, was allocated a house in Thirlestane Terrace, Selkirk.
The tenancy allocation is not at issue, but The Wee Paper understands that before the son moved in, the father discovered a number of faults, notably with the heating system and the shower. These faults were reported to the planner who issued an instruction for the necessary works to be carried out.
And, as a result, a complaint regarding the appropriateness of the actions of both men was submitted to Julia Mulloy, who was appointed SBHA's director of technical services 18 months ago.
The men were suspended on full pay last Tuesday pending an investigation and this has riled co-workers.
"It's fair to say that morale among the tradesmen is lower than a snake's belly," said one SBHA employee who did not wish to be named.
"There is a feeling that management is not only looking to cut costs, but that this is part of a backlash for the taxigate affair."
That is a reference to our story in June which revealed that tradesmen on emergency standby duty had been used, on two occasions, to ferry members of management home from late night social events.
At the time, SBHA's outgoing chief executive Janice Cambridge confirmed displinary procedures had been invoked, but declined to elaborate.
But our source told us: "On that occasion two foremen were simply given written warnings which makes the suspension of the two men last week all the more galling. The workers are extremely unhappy."
Also due for discussion at the meeting was a recent incident in which a lone worker clearing guttering at Yarrowford fell from his ladder and lay with a broken hip for two hours before being discovered by a member of the public and conveyed to hospital.
"He should never have been working alone in an isolated setting and this suggests the drive to cut costs now comes before safety," said the source.
Asked yesterday to comment on the suspensions, Mrs Cambridge told us: "Staffing matters are confidential and there can be no comment at all until the issue is concluded."
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Weather for Selkirk
Friday 25 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 16 mph
Wind direction: East
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Sunny
Temperature: 7 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: North east
