Centre staff are lettered
More than half of operations staff at EK’s town centre could be axed
More than half of operations staff at EK, East Kilbride could lose their jobs.
That was the latest hammer blow to hit the local employment market this week after the centre announced cost-cutting measures looked to be “unavoidable”.
Thirty-three staff currently work at the centre, ranging from janitorial, cleaning and security staff, with 18 positions expected to go.
And staff have raised concerns what that could mean for the future of the centre.
One worker, who wished to remain anonymous, told the News: “We were told last Thursday that jobs could be set to go.
“Because of everything that has gone on, we half expected some job losses, but we couldn’t have imagined there would be this many,
“How are 15 staff members going to run that centre?
“There are about 50 shops in it and we’re expecting them to open back up from 7am to 10pm like they have done in England.
“They’re going to need workers for that and it seems like a bit of a stretch at 15, but management don’t seem to expect it.”
It has been a difficult time for the centre, which has seen the majority of stores within it closed for most of the last 12 months.
A handful of essential retailers have remained open, but even when they were permitted to open after the first lockdown last summer, not all retailers took that chance.
Since then, a number of retailers have gone into administration –most notably Debenhams – and others have pulled out of the centre, including Sainsbury’s, while Marks & Spencers are also set to shut up shop.
A spokesman for the centre told the News that the centre has faced “multiple” challenges due to the pandemic, and was now in a “rapidly changing” industry.
He added: “It’s no secret that most high street retailers and independent outlets have experienced huge difficulties with many closing stores across the country.
“EK, East Kilbride has not been immune to this and despite exhaustive efforts to address the challenges and minimise the impact of these closures, the centre is now in the unavoidable position of having to look at additional cost cutting measures, including possible redundancies, to allow it to continue to operate effectively. Although no decisions have been taken at this stage, it should be noted that the whole business is under review.”
Management at the centre say they “understand” that the news will be concerning for staff and say that they are looking at “all possible options” to try and minimise the number of those affected.
They hope to conclude consultations by the end of April and ensure that employees are kept “updated at every stage”.
However, our source said that is of little solace to staff who are “losing sleep over this”.
The staff member added: “It’s bad enough losing your job at anytime, but just now?
“There are going to be so many people on the brew now, finding a job will be nearly impossible.
“Management told us they couldn’t afford the step up in wages from the 40 per cent furlough payments they’ve been making.
“We expect to hear later in the week whether we’ll keep our jobs or not.”
There are about 50 shops in it and we’re expecting them to open back up from 7am to 10pm ...they’re going to need workers for that and it seems a bit of a stretch at 15, but management don’t seem to expect it...