Disgraceful way to play with workers' lives

Got some great news from the guys at City Building I've been speaking to recently about their potential job losses. When the UKBA ended the contract with Glasgow City Council to house asylum seekers and gave it instead to Y People, these guys, plumbers electricians etc whose job had been to maintain the asylum seekers' homes, were told they would be transferred under TUPE to Y People. But Y People said they didn't need them.

So since 8 March these men, some of whom have worked with the council (and subsequently City Building) for nearly 20 years, have been stressed and worried sick as CB claimed it was not possible to redeploy them.

There were only 7 of them so of course they could be redeployed. In fact one of them told me his boss said if he left, he'd have to get another full time plumber to do the job he was currently working on.

What way is that to treat loyal workers?

Not just LOYAL but hard workers. They told me all of them have exemplary records in terms of attendance at work, timekeeping, getting the job done. I am furious that they have had all this stress and all these sleepless nights FOR ABSOLUTELY NO REASON as it turns out.

Because today, at the last minute, they decided they WOULD keep them on after all. They are relieved obviously and I am delighted for them but I am furious that they were treated in this way. If there was a way to keep them in their jobs instead of throwing them on the scrap heap (and there clearly WAS a way seeing as they've done it) it should have happened right away.

One can't help wondering if this was done this way deliberately so they would feel GRATEFUL to City Building. It's not the first time people have been made to suffer in this way. I wrote about the asylum support staff in my last blog and the SNP supported them until they finally got justice too. It shouldn't have to be this way. We really have to start treating workers a whole lot more humanely.