WE’RE OUT OF OFFICE UNTIL 2021!

Business backlash as civil servants are told they may not be back at desks before March

SCOTLAND’S 20,000 civil servants are set to be kept away from the office until next year amid fears it will add to the crisis facing town centre firms.

Working from home is to remain the ‘default’ position for many, with some Scottish Government and quango staff told by bosses they are not expected to return to office working until March.

A similar approach is likely to be taken by other parts of the public sector, which employs more than half a million people in Scotland.

The revelation has added to fears that private sector non-essential offices and call centres are unlikely to be given the green light to get workers back to their desks for several months to come.

It will be a hammer blow for cafes, bars, shops and restaurants operating in town centres and business districts across the country, where footfall is still far lower than normal despite some lockdown restrictions being relaxed.

It has led to more concerns that small firms will lose the battle for survival, resulting in yet more job

losses. David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: ‘Shops in Scotland lost £2.1billion of retail sales over the first five months of the coronavirus pandemic, and retail sales have still to get back to the level they were pre-crisis.

‘While the situation is slowly improving, it remains particularly acute in city centres where stores are suffering significant drops in footfall.

‘Shops and retail jobs depend on the ongoing patronage of the public. Any prolonged absence of civil servants, office workers, students and tourists from city centres will be felt hugely by consumerfacing businesses who rely on their custom. This is particularly so with the key Christmas trading period almost upon us.

‘Without a plan for the safe return of office workers, the short-term outlook looks bleak. This will have consequences for shop vacancies and retail jobs.’

The Mail learned from several civil servants that they have been informally told they are unlikely to return until March.

Some financial firms are taking a similar approach. Royal Bank of Scotland recently told more than 50,000 staff they will continue to work from home until next year.

A Scottish Government source said: ‘People in other walks of life, such as financiers, are preparing for a return in 2021 so you would not be surprised if the Scottish Government was the same.’

A spokesman for the Federation of Small Businesses in Scotland said: ‘Even when non-essential offices are allowed to open, many employers will have a number of

‘Consequences for vacancies and jobs’

factors to consider about returning staff. For example, as long as our public transport networks are compromised, then it might not be sensible to suggest all office workers should travel in.

‘And if your organisation’s productivity is largely unaffected by having lots of staff working from home, it is understandable that some operators might not want to change their approach too quickly.

‘However, if lots of big businesses and public sector organisations choose not to reopen their premises for many months, this will have a knock-on impact on firms reliant on custom from nearby offices.

‘While some home workers might be spending more money with firms near where they live, if offices remain shut then it seems likely that some of the firms in the neighbourhood will close or not reopen.

‘We doubt that those in charge are making these decisions lightly. But we’d ask them to consider the overall impact of the actions they’re taking.’

There are a total of 44,900 civil servants currently working in Scotland. Of them, 20,600 are employed in the devolved Civil Service, which is made up of the Scottish Government, its agencies, non-ministerial departments and the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service.

Asked about plans to continue home working until March, a Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘Our default position is staff should work from home for the time being. However, we will keep this under review.

‘Working from home is having a positive impact on suppression of the virus and we appreciate the continued adherence to this policy by employers.’ On Thursday, Nicola Sturgeon confirmed that she still will not set a date for the return of non-essential offices, with working from home to remain the ‘default’ position.

However, she did admit that she was ‘acutely aware’ of the impact of home working on services such as cafes and restaurants which are based in areas with many office workers.

Defending the decision not to give a return date for non-essential office workers, the First Minister yesterday said: ‘If we try to do everything now we will end up being able to do nothing because the virus will get out of control again. So we have to keep a balance.

‘Our judgment is, given the numbers of people and the travel patterns this would cause if all non-essential office and call centre workers went back into their office accommodation right now the impact on transmission would be so great and we would risk having to close down things that are already open.

‘That’s the balanced judgments we have to try to take and we understand the implications

for that for businesses.’ Cat Boyd, national officer for the PCS trade union, said: ‘By continuing to work from home where possible, Scottish Government civil servants are doing their part in reducing community transmission.

‘Working from home under pandemic conditions has been extremely challenging for many and staff across government have worked long hours, from their own homes, under huge pressure to keep Scotland running.

‘Everyone is doing their part to control the virus and our civil servants are doing theirs by continuing to work from home where it is possible and safest for them to do so.’

The number of Scots who have their wages paid by the state has soared despite measures to relax the coronavirus lockdown restrictions.

Official figures published yesterday showed an extra 43,000 jobs were furloughed in July as Scotland moved into the third phase of exiting lockdown.

It means there are now nearly one million people on furlough or self-employment support schemes which are being operated by the UK Treasury – one in three of all workers in the country.

Scottish Tory economy spokesman Maurice Golden said: ‘The UK Government furlough scheme has protected nearly a million Scottish jobs and the Conservatives are bringing forward a jobs plan to help rebuild and restore our economy. The SNP needs to start doing its bit to get the economy moving again.’

Economy Secretary Fiona Hyslop has written to the Chancellor asking for the scheme to be extended past October.