Jim: Let’s reward frontline heroes
Key workers who have helped to keep vital Renfrewshire Council s e r v i ces moving t h roughout the coronavirus pandemic should receive a t a n g i b l e reward for their efforts, a councillor has insisted.
Jim Sh e r idan ha s urged council bosses to consider giving staff who have continued to work throughout lockdown an extra day’s holiday or some kind of financial boost.
He says this would show their commitment has been recognised by the local authority.
Last month, elected members on Angus Council unanimously agreed to give key workers an extra day off as a thank you for keeping the region moving, which Councillor Sheridan highlighted to members of the emergencies board.
The Labour man said he believed such a gesture wouldn’t “wreck the bank” for the council and should be seriously considered.
After highlighting the work of staff at the council’s household waste recycling centre in Erskine, Councillor Sheridan told elected members: “I would just like to make a comment about workers at the site who have been doing an excellent job in difficult and dangerous circumstances.
“I did suggest at the last full council meeting about offering some tangible recognition of these workers.
“I see Angus Council have taken on board that request and they are offering their staff, particularly the ones on the front line, an extra one day’s holiday. I don’t think that would be wrecking the bank for Renfrewshire Council and I think we need to give some kind of tangible recognition for those workers who are out in all kinds of weather facing all kinds of dangers.
“I’m not looking for a definitive answer today [at the meeting] but for someone in senior administration to look at this and give it some serious thought.”
Following the outbreak of Covid- 19, Renfrewshire Council established a local assistance team which has supported hundreds of people to arrange food and medicine packages and assisted those shielding to access supermarket deliveries.
Meanwhile, staff at Renfrewshire’s seven childcare hubs have supported more than 250 children of key workers and vulnerable families every week during the lockdown period, with this work continuing throughout the summer period.
Street cleaning and waste collections teams have also continued to operate a full schedule and the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership has continued to support around 1,600 people through the care at home service.
Councillor Sheridan added: “Many kind words have been documented about the commitment of our frontline workers and so we have asked the administration to consider matching their words with actions.”
Renfrewshire Council leader Iain Nicolson has said the local authority is considering how best to acknowledge the “incredible efforts” of employees who have served the area with “distinction”.
He said: “I am immensely proud of the collective commitment in Renfrewshire to tackle the impact of coronavirus and grateful to every single person who has played their part.
“Frontline council staff have stood side by side with local volunteers, colleagues in the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, Renfrewshire Leisure and alongside the emergency services, to serve the people of Renfrewshire with distinction at this tough time.
Every council department, every service, has stepped up and shown great diligence and dedication. We want to acknowledge this and are carefully considering how best to recognise their incredible efforts.”