Richard Leonard MSP is calling on the Scottish Government intervention to help save the jobs of more than 50 workers at a waste management company in Shotts.
The former Scottish Labour leader believes they need to “take a much more active role” in helping to save the jobs of 53 people at Cliniwaste in Shotts, which is set to close at the end of the month.
Workers at the waste management site have been given notice of redundancy. Many of them were previously employed at the same site by scandal-hit Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) which closed in December 2018 as clinical waster piled up.
The MSP for Central Scotland who for years has called for the government to develop a long term industrial strategy to help businesses and their workers, and says Shotts “is a community that needs active government intervention and support”.
He also pointed out that people living in 13 of the 20 data zones in the Shotts area have a higher income deprivation that the Scottish average.
He added: “I believe the opportunity is there for these jobs to be saved but we need the political will and determination to do so.”
The MSP has sent a letter to the SNP’s Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee, highlighting that income deprivation in the area is high and 10 per cent of working age people are out of work.
The potential redundancies follows the closure of Healthcare Environmental Services (HES) with the loss of 400 jobs, Cliniwaste took over the running of the Shotts site they previously occupied.
Cliniwaste’s main customer is the NHS, and Richard Leonard is asking the Scottish Government to consider either, bringing the work in-house; taking a stake in the business; or injecting capital via the Scottish National Investment Bank.
“The Scottish Government has failed to develop a proper plan for our industries and our economy that would provide long term stability for businesses and their workers,” the Labour MSP said.
“Ministers must not just stand by and allow this to happen, we need to save these jobs in Shotts.”
Business Minister Ivan McKee said: “It is disappointing to hear of these potential redundancies and I will look to meet Cliniwaste to understand what can be done to save these jobs.
“The employees affected by this are the immediate priority. In the unfortunate event that any individuals should be facing redundancy, the Scottish Government will provide support through our initiative for responding to redundancy situations, Partnership Action for Continuing Employment (PACE). Through providing skills development and employability support, PACE aims to minimise the time individuals affected by redundancy are out of work.
“Cliniwaste has been treating NHS clinical waste under a temporary contract with Tradebe Healthcare, NHS Scotland’s clinical waste contractor, while Tradebe’s new site at Queenslie has been in construction. The NHS will also continue to engage with both Cliniwaste and Tradebe in an attempt to safeguard these jobs.”
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