Union leader to meet call centre staff

A union boss is to meet workers employed by rail operator Abellio at its Fort William call centre next week in the wake of news four staff would not have their employment continued.

The Lochaber Times recently broke the news that the jobs of the affected four members of staff were being transferred to Glasgow and that the workers currently filling those roles at the Dutchowned company’s premises on the Claggan Industrial Estate would not be given the chance to transfer to Glasgow as their employment is not being extended beyond a probationary period.

The news provoked an angry backlash from local politicians and the Transport Salaried Staffs’ Association (TSSA).

Skye, Lochaber and Badenoch MSP Kate Forbes was disappointed over what she said looked like centralisation, while Lochaber area leader Councillor Andrew Baxter slammed Abellio for behaving ‘shabbily’ in preventing the affected four staff from applying for the jobs once switched to Glasgow.

After hearing the news, TSSA general secretary Manuel Cortes said the uncertainty the announcement created would ‘shake Fort William’ and decried the move by Abellio, saying the firm should ‘hang its head in shame’.

Now the TSSA has confirmed Mr Cortes will visit the Fort William contact centre next week. The centre’s 57 staff deal with inquiries from ScotRail passengers as well as those from other Abellio companies.

Despite being ScotRail’s white collar union, TSSA representatives were only allowed into the contact centre after their efforts to gain access were highlighted by the press last year.

Mr Cortes said: ‘I am going to the Fort William contact centre to make sure workers are fully aware of their rights to join our union.

‘I am also looking forward to meeting local management to reassure them we don’t bite and that we want to build a constructive relationship with them.’

Mr Cortes will spend the day in Fort William on Tuesday August 14, after visiting CalMac ports in the Outer Hebrides this week.