Fears vulnerable Glaswegians could be at risk of falling in sub zero temperatures have been raised by cleansing workers struggling to grit the city's streets.
Glasgow’s GMB convenor Chris Mitchell says the cleansing department has been stretched to “breaking point” this winter as staff face hundreds of complaints each day about the gritting service local authority workers provide.
Mr Mitchell says he understands why members of the public are angry but has pointed out members are working their hardest to grit icy pavements during these hazardous conditions.
READ MORE: Glasgow plan winter maintenance as residents urged to take care of each other
Earlier this year Glasgow City Council approved its winter gritting plan for 2022/23 which is mainly carried out by night shift operatives based at the Gartcraig Depot.
Roads, footpaths and commuter cycle ways which access schools, hospitals and shopping centres have been prioritised for the coming winter months. Council officers will also monitor the weather forecast to decide what surfaces are in need of treatment and when.
But the GMB argues that more staff could help expand the service and grit more used roads and pavements more regularly.
Chris Mitchell said: “It is the same every year. Every year we face budget cuts and every year there is a reduction in the number of staff which makes it harder to provide a service.
“It is a statutory requirement that we grit the pavements for the public, whether it is nightshift or gritters on the road or it is just manually gritting with shovels which the parks department do.
“Given that there has been a reduction in staff the public have the right to show a bit of anger but the anger should be directed towards the Scottish Government and the council. It shouldn’t be angled towards the workforce because we are trying our hardest to provide that service.
“We have received hundreds of complaints from members of the public about the gritting programme. We don’t have enough staff to grit every street. Schools, libraries, community centres and hospitals are prioritised but so many streets across the city don’t get touched which is where you see people complaining, falling and injuring themselves.
“This will have a detrimental effect on the NHS.”
The local authority has confirmed it is gritting its footways, cycleways and carriageways in line with its winter maintenance plan.
They use available resources to focus on a series of priority routes and that work has been underway as planned.
A spokesman said: “It’s not possible for us to grit everywhere but there are over 1,500 grit bins around the city for people to use in their own neighbourhoods.
“When there are sustained periods of cold weather we will begin to grit along second tier priority routes and that kind of work is now underway also.”
The council also confirmed it would deploy a team to grit surfaces in front of a bin lorry crew arriving if vehicles or staff were struggling in the winter weather.
The spokesman added: “We would not expect staff to put themselves at risk due to icy conditions such as when there is freezing rain or heavy snowfall that overwhelms any grit that’s been laid down.
“In those circumstances staff would be deployed to where conditions were manageable or return to the depot to await further instruction.
“There have been no reports so far this winter of staff having to adopt these additional measures.
“We are advising staff to take their time where necessary and there is also the option of staff using winter weather cleats for their boots to provide added grip.”
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